OFCCP Observes Second Chance Month
Every April, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) observes Second Chance Month. As President Biden stated in his Proclamation on Second Chance Month "America has always been a land of second chances, founded on fresh starts, new possibilities, and the belief that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
To help provide that second chance to formerly incarcerated people, the Biden-Harris Administration is investing nearly $1 billion in job training, recovery, and reentry services. The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (“BIL”) will increase the number of contractors and projects under OFCCP’s jurisdiction. It will present opportunities across the country to connect under-served communities with quality jobs in construction and related industries. Moreover, OFCCP’s outreach pursuant to the BIL will have a positive impact on the representation of women and minorities in the construction trades, especially those re-entering the workforce after criminal justice involvement.
OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246 which prohibits federal contractors from treating job applicants or employees with criminal records differently because of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. Even where contractors apply criminal record exclusions uniformly, the exclusions may be unlawful if they disproportionately exclude people of a particular race or national origin.
OFCCP’s Directive 2013-02 provides information about the circumstances in which exclusions of applicants or employees based on their criminal records may violate existing nondiscrimination obligations. OFCCP’s additional resources include frequently asked questions, which provide guidance to federal contractors on the circumstances in which exclusions of applicants or employees based on their criminal records may violate existing nondiscrimination obligations.
OFCCP is committed to eliminating barriers to equal opportunity and to helping federal contractors build more inclusive workplaces. Helping those re-entering the workforce after criminal justice involvement is, as President Biden so aptly put it, “what second chances look like.”
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