New Jersey senator introduces credit check ban bill

Approximately one in 10 people in New Jersey are jobless, and many have been so for months, explained state senator Nia Gill, as quoted by the Star-Ledger. And a fair amount of the unemployed have seen their credit reports for employment damaged by the failing economy. Gill is attempting to offer hope for those who saw their credit crater with the economy by introducing a bill that would eradicate the use of credit checks during job interviews. If passed, New Jersey would join Washington, Hawaii, Oregon and Illinois as states that have banned using credit reports as a factor for employment. "To base employment on a candidate’s credit history when there is no relationship to the position at hand is simply unfair," said Gill, as quoted by the news source. "Allowing this practice to continue would prevent New Jerseyans from ever recovering from the devastating and hurtful effects of the global recession." Those applying for jobs involving a company's finances would still be subject to a check, but for others who don't plan on handling money, the bill would provide protection and give the long-term unemployed a better chance at re-entering the job market, the Star-Ledger states in a separate article.