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Your Background Investigations News & Updates

Dear Client, Colleague and Friend: As your trusted advisor in background investigations and security consulting, CSI keeps you informed of the latest industry news, insights and legislation. Read our latest newsletter and sign up to receive our news alerts.

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Massachusetts Ban the Box Update Last month, Governor Charlie Baker signed  An Act Implementing the Joint Recommendations of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review  and  An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform which will go into effect on October 13, 2018.  An Act Implementing the Joint Recommendations of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review includes, among several other reforms, adjustments to mandatory minimum sentences, witness protection reforms, and procedural protection changes. An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform is aimed at recidivism in Massachusetts. This new law, among other reforms, amends the current Massachusetts Ban the Box law, further limiting the time period in which an employer can inquire about misdemeanor convictions. This new law also prohibits employers from asking about criminal records that have been sealed or expunged. Click here to read more about the amended law and what employers need to do.

Background Screening National Legislative Update

This past April, CSI’s Judy Gootkind, Vice President of Finance and Administration, and Kellie O’Shea, Associate General Counsel, attended the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) annual Mid-Year Legislative & Regulatory Conference in Arlington, Virginia. Judy and Kellie spent Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, along with over 100 other NAPBS colleagues, meeting with Congressional Members from across the country. Judy and Kellie met with Congressional Offices including Illinois, Colorado and Massachusetts on behalf of NAPBS seeking support on bills and topics including (but certainly not limited to): H.R. 1646 – The Certainty in Enforcement Act, introduced by Representative Walberg which would exempt employers from a claim of disparate impact by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when the employer considers credit or criminal record information under a state or local requirement to do so. H.R. 2359 – Fair Credit Report Act Liability Harmonization Act, introduced by Representative Loudermilk, which would establish a cap on class actions equal to the lesser for $500,000.00 or 1% of the defendant’s net worth. Data Acquisition and Technology Accountability and Security Act – This draft bill was introduced by Representative Luetkemeyer and Representative Maloney as a response to a patchwork of different state laws dealing with security breaches and data integrity and would establish a national standard for all entities accessing, maintaining, storing or handling personal consumer data.

VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER

Choosing the Right Partner for Background Checks

Have you ever wished you knew something about an applicant or candidate’s history sooner to avoid a hiring mistake? Employment background checks can expose vitally important information to make informed and confident hiring decisions. However, you need the right background screening partner to help you uncover relevant, sometimes hard to find, information. Luckily for Allied Personal Services (APS), they found a long-time partnership with Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) and learned how important having the right partner is. APS Vice President Susan Larkin says, “Background checks are an essential employment tool, but they are not all the same. Many companies rely on inferior, cursory database searches that may be less expensive but simply don’t identify all issues. By contrast, CSI combines advanced technologies with superior investigative, interviewing and analytical skills, to identify areas of vulnerability and mitigate risk. To me, it’s a case of you get what you pay for, and CSI is worth every penny.” Larkin had first-hand experience in comparing background screening providers this past year. During a routine background check conducted by CSI on an APS applicant, CSI surfaced a felony conviction as well as other criminal records. The conviction was a disqualifier based on the function of the job which led to APS ultimately having to deny the applicant for this position (after proper adverse action notices and procedures). Subsequently, this same applicant applied with a competing staffing agency who used a different background screening vendor that relied on less comprehensive, cursory searches. This search did not uncover the felony conviction that CSI surfaced during their investigation. As a result, the applicant was hired by APS’s client through the competing agency. Unfortunately, during a routine evaluation and review, this issue was revealed. Upon discovery that the client was unnecessarily exposed to significant risk, not only was the new hire terminated, but the other staffing agency was also fired by the client and APS was awarded their business instead. “CSI sets the standard in quality and accuracy,” says Susan. “Thanks to our alliance with CSI, we were able to help our client rectify (a serious) hiring mistake, reinforcing the quality and value of our service as a staffing agency. We would not consider using any other background investigations company. CSI is the perfect ally for APS.” Allied Personnel Services is an independently owned staffing and employment agency that currently serves the entire Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania as well as parts of New Jersey and prides itself on delivering world-class services. In order to uphold their reputation, APS utilizes CSI to run background checks on potential candidates for temporary or permanent job placements to ensure they are hiring with confidence.

CSI NEWS

CSI Around Town

CSI is pleased to attend the following industry events: College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) 2018 Spring Conference (Eastern Region), Baltimore, Maryland – April 2018 National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) Mid-Year Legislative and Regulatory Conference, Arlington, Virginia – April 2018 National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) Advocacy Day, Washington D.C. – April 2018 Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) Annual Conference, Falmouth, Massachusetts – September 2018 National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland – October 2018 (Pictured right) CSI’s Sean Jackman, Business Development Manager, and Sheila Turner, Sales Support Representative, enjoying their time at the CSI Booth during the CUPA-HR Spring Conference.

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About CSI Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) is a full-service employment screening, background investigations and security consulting company. Established in 1976, CSI provides comprehensive screening solutions, drug and alcohol testing, due diligence investigations, and security consulting to regulated and non-regulated industries. By combining advanced technologies with superior investigative, interviewing and analytical skills, CSI identifies areas of vulnerability and establishes customized strategies that mitigate risk, improve workplace safety and achieve regulatory compliance. CSI has held the distinction of being accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) since 2012. For more information, please visit www.creativeservices.com .

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