Maryland has just joined a growing number of states and local jurisdictions in banning private employers from requesting information about an applicant’s criminal history in job applications. Some Maryland localities (like Baltimore, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County) had already enacted their own “ban-the-box” laws, but this new law will apply throughout all of Maryland.
In March 2019, the Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 839 and House Bill 994, which banned employers from requiring job applicants to disclose certain criminal history information before the first in-person interview. Governor Hogan vetoed the bill on May 24, 2019. However, on January 30, 2020, the state’s General Assembly overruled the Governor’s veto, making the law immediately effective.
Accordingly, Maryland employers with fifteen (15) or more employees may no longer require an applicant to disclose whether they have a criminal record or have been accused of a crime before their first in-person interview. Employers may only make this inquiry during the applicant’s first in-person interview or thereafter.
Maryland bans the box, Maryland bans the box