A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to reduce unfair barriers to public employment by requiring that a public employer neither ask about nor consider the criminal record of a job applicant until the applicant has been selected by the employer for an interview.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 5 of Chapter 15A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 15A‑151.  Public employment; consideration of criminal history record.
(a)	Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a public employer shall not inquire into or consider the criminal record or criminal history of an applicant for public employment until the applicant has been selected for an interview by the employer.
(b)	This section does not apply to the custody staff of the Divisions of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety or to public employers who have a statutory duty to conduct a criminal history record check for a position or otherwise take into consideration a potential employee's criminal history during the hiring process.
(c)	This section does not prohibit a public employer from notifying applicants that law or the employer's policy will disqualify an individual with a particular criminal history record from employment in particular positions.
(d)	For the purposes of this section, the term "public employer" means the State or a local political subdivision of the State."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2015, and applies to applications for employment submitted on or after that date.