RESOLUTION NO.

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A resolution to support the Citys adoption and implementation of hiring practices
that provide people with arrest and conviction records an equal and fair opportunity to
obtain employment and asking that the City conduct outreach and education regarding
the policy, encourage private employers to adopt similar policies and track hiring data to
measure outcomes.
WHEREAS, nearly one in three adults in the United States - 70 million individuals
- have a criminal record; and
WHEREAS, a criminal conviction presents a serious and significant barrier to
employment; and
WHEREAS, people of color are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated in numbers
disproportionate to their representation in the population as a whole; and
WHEREAS, economists estimate that by denying fair employment opportunities
to people with criminal records, our nations gross domestic product lost $57 to $65
billion in 2008; and
WHEREAS, the ability of people with criminal records to successfully reintegrate
into our community contributes to reduced recidivism, strengthens families, and leads to
safer communities; and
WHEREAS, people with records represent a workforce that have skills to
contribute and a desire to add value to their community; and
WHEREAS, when qualified job seekers with criminal records are given the
opportunity to work, they add to the tax base and local economy, and will be less reliant
on public benefits and social services; and
WHEREAS, studies indicate that stable employment is one of the best predictors
of post-conviction success; and
WHEREAS, 14 states and 96 local jurisdictions across the country have adopted
fair chance hiring policies to remove unfair barriers to employment of people with
records; and
WHEREAS, in August 2014, the Mayor of Spokane publicly asked Civil Service
and Human Resources to remove the box on City employment applications that asks
about criminal history and to adopt hiring policies that consider applicants first based on
qualifications, not criminal history, and that provide an individual assessment of whether
a particular criminal record is sufficiently related to the job sought to justify
disqualification from employment; and

WHEREAS, the City adopted Administrative Policy and Procedure No. ADMIN
0620-15-65 regarding use of criminal background checks on employment applications
which went into effect on March 6, 2015.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Spokane strongly
requests that the City conduct an education campaign regarding the new hiring policy,
namely targeted towards job seekers and the business community, so that people have
a clear understanding of what the policy does and does not do, and for the purposes of
encouraging people to apply for City employment and encouraging private employers to
adopt similar hiring practices; we request that the Human Rights Commission be
involved in leading this outreach and education, and that it occur in the form of
community meetings, FAQ documents that can be distributed, and information on the
City of Spokane website; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we request that the City track and record
hiring data so that we can measure the impact that this new policy has on the hiring of
people with criminal records, and we recommend specifically that this data include the
following: The numbers of applicants with criminal records (as disclosed in accordance
with the policy), how many of those applicants are hired and for what positions, how
many proposed actions not to hire based on criminal history are ultimately reversed
due to the applicants response, and how the applicants with criminal records perform
as employees in comparison to employees without criminal records; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage the City to look to other
jurisdictions that have implemented and tracked similar policies, such as Seattle,
Minneapolis and Durham, North Carolina, for input on how to best track this data; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we request that the City issue a report to City Council
in 6 months and/or a year reporting on this data.
ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON ________________________________
City Clerk________________________

Approved as to form:
____________________________
Assistant City Attorney