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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 31, 2018 01:09 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jim Cox |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Second Chance Employment Opportunities |
| . In the near future I plan to introduce legislation that would help people obtain family-sustaining jobs in the Commonwealth. Studies have shown that occupational licensing issues can create real barriers to work for some people in our society. If we hope to promote self-sufficiency and reduce poverty in Pennsylvania, we must do what we can to remove barriers to employment. Quite often, licensing boards flatly deny licenses to individuals who have criminal records. My bill would require all licensing boards to review criminal records of individuals to determine whether or not the individual's specific prior offense should prevent that individual from entering a particular profession. In addition, my bill would allow the licensing fee to be waived for individuals with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level ($24,000 per year for an individual). This legislation provides a common-sense approach to getting more people into meaningful employment and will help employers to fill job openings with qualified professionals. Promoting work and self-sufficiency for our residents should be a top priority and I hope you will consider joining me in co-sponsoring this legislation. . |
Introduced as HB2585