Florida Senate - 2014                                    SB 1588
       
       
        
       By Senator Bullard
       
       
       
       
       
       39-01472-14                                           20141588__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public employment; creating s.
    3         112.047, F.S.; prohibiting a county or municipality
    4         from inquiring into or considering the criminal
    5         history of an applicant or including an inquiry about
    6         criminal history on certain employment applications;
    7         authorizing a county or municipality to consider an
    8         applicant’s criminal history under certain
    9         circumstances; providing for applicability; providing
   10         an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 112.047, Florida Statutes, is created to
   15  read:
   16         112.047 Prohibited inquiries into an applicant’s background
   17  on county and municipal employment applications.—
   18         (1) The governing body of any county or municipal agency,
   19  board, commission, department, or office may not inquire into or
   20  consider the criminal history of an applicant or include an
   21  inquiry about criminal history on an initial employment
   22  application. A county or municipal agency, board, commission,
   23  department, or office may consider an applicant’s criminal
   24  history after the applicant’s qualifications are screened and
   25  such county or municipal agency, board, commission, department,
   26  or office determines that the applicant meets the minimum
   27  employment requirements as stated in a notice issued for the
   28  position.
   29         (2) This section does not:
   30         (a) Apply to a position for which the county or
   31  municipality is otherwise required by law to conduct a criminal
   32  history background check.
   33         (b) Require the county or municipality to conduct a
   34  criminal history background check.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.