September 8, 2015

The Honorable Elijah Cummings

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 201515

The Honorable Cory Booker

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: NAACP SUPPORT FOR THE FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR JOBS ACT OF 2015

Dear Senator Booker and Congressman Cummings;

On behalf of the NAACP, our nations oldest, largest and most widely-recognized grassroots-

based civil rights organization, I would like to thank you for your leadership by introducing the

Fair Chance to Compete for jobs Act of 2015. This seminal legislation would provide job

applicants who may have criminal histories the opportunity to prove themselves on their

merits, skills, and other qualifications. This legislation is especially important to the

communities served and represented by the NAACP, since more than 60% of the people in

prison are now racial and ethnic minorities and the unemployment rate among African

American men remains nearly double the national average.

The NAACP has a long and solid history of supporting Ban the Box policies in hiring at the

local, state, and federal level. We have also worked with large private companies to encourage

them to change their application processes. In response to efforts including those launched by

the NAACP, elected officials from across the political spectrum have embraced fair chance

hiring reforms. These reforms restore hope and opportunity to qualified job-seekers with an

arrest or conviction record who struggle against significant odds to find work and give back to

their communities. More than 100 jurisdictions, including 13 states, the District of Columbia,

and 96 cities and counties, have adopted Ban the Box and other fair chance hiring reforms.

Six states already extend the policy to both public and private sector employers, and a growing

number of the nations largest retailers, including Walmart and Target, have adopted fair

chance hiring measures as well.

Almost one in three adults in the United States has a record that will show up on a routine

criminal background check; this ratio is much higher for racial and ethnic minorities. By

prohibiting the federal government, as well as federal contractors, from inquiring about past

criminal histories in the initial phases of a job interview, your legislation leads by example. It

also ensures that people will not be pre-judged when applying for employment.

WASHINGTON BUREAU NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE 1156 15

TH STREET, NW SUITE 915 WASHINGTON, DC 20005 P (202) 463-2940 F (202) 463-2953

E-MAIL: WASHINGTONBUREAU@NAACPNET.ORG WEB ADDRESS WWW.NAACP.ORG

Thank you again for your leadership and your willingness to forge legislation on this crucial

issue which has bipartisan support. The NAACP is committed to activating our grassroots

membership in addition to our national staff in support of the Fair Chance to Compete for jobs

Act of 2015. Should you have any questions or comments on the NAACP position or activities in

support of this legislation, please feel free to contact me at (202) 463-2940.

Sincerely,

Hilary O. Shelton

Director, NAACP Washington Bureau &

Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy