CA Assembly Member David Chiu Announces a package of Fair Chance Occupational Licensing reform bills: AB 2138, AB2293, and AB3039, Co-Sponosred by Root & Rebound, East Bay Community Law Center, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, & Legal Services for Prisoners With Children.

In California today, nearly 30% of jobs require a license, certificate, or other from an oversight board or agency. As it stands, these boards and agencies regularly deny licenses and certifications on the basis of a person’s criminal record, with little regard for whether or not a person’s past arrests or convictions would have any relation to or bearing on the job for which they are seeking a license.

These bills would prohibit the denial, revocation, or suspension of a license on the basis of a nonviolent conviction that’s older that five years, or on the basis of a dismissed conviction, or a non-conviction act, unless it is directly related to the duties of the profession for which the application is made.