Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman a has secured agreements with four of the nation's largest background check agencies. The agreements prohibit the agencies from automatically disqualifying applicants with criminal convictions and require the agencies to defer hiring decisions to employers who must conduct an individualized consideration of candidates in accordance with New York State law.
Under the agreements, HireRight Inc., First Advantage, General Information Services Inc. and Sterling Infosystems agree to follow New York laws that make it illegal to automatically disqualify job applicants based solely on criminal history. Specifically, the agencies agree not to issue automatic rejection letters triggered by a conviction on behalf of employers to ensure that employers conduct the required case-by-case, individualized assessments of job candidates.