Background Check Woes for the Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD) ensures national security by conducting thorough background checks for security clearances. These checks are essential for vetting personnel who handle sensitive information and perform crucial defense-related tasks.

Promoting Fair Hiring When Using Background Checks in Government

The passage of the federal Fair Chance Act has reshaped the nature of background checks in government in a few short years. Yet even as policy has changed, public misconceptions remain about government jobs and their background check requirements. These misunderstandings are partly due to the patchwork of similar legislation at the state level—so not every government is as open to hiring those with a criminal record. However, those hiring for government agencies and organizations also have work to do.

New Regulations on Background Checks in the Government Begin

In 2019, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act was passed and signed into law. Often simply referred to as the “federal fair chance” law, the legislation stipulated that the government should require most agencies to adopt a version of the “ban the box” laws popular across the nation. Several years later, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has concluded its rule-writing process and is now ready to implement and enforce the law concerning background checks in government.