January

Mid-sized Canadian companies are looking to hire, according to the inaugural American Express multinational survey of mid-sized companies. More than eight in 10 Canadian mid-sized companies surveyed, 81%, plan to make an investment in human capital and hire staff over the next six months. While the research found this is a global trend, Canada is the most likely of the seven countries surveyed to report plans to hire. Revenues are up 66% year-over-year and 88% of mid-sized Canadian companies are confident they can access the capital they need to grow.

According to the National Employment Law Project, 67 cities and counties and 13 states have adopted such provisions.[1]More cities and states are expected to follow suit. ThisCommentarydiscusses the current state of the ban the box laws, the risks that these laws pose to employers, and strategies for compliance. It also contains a chart with highlights of key provisions from the jurisdictions that have enacted such laws as of the time thisCommentaryis published. Thirteen states have passed ban the box statutes: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.[3]Of these states, only six-Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island-regulate private employers' use of criminal records.[4]In addition to these statewide regulations, 67 cities and counties throughout the country have adopted ban the box ordinances, including New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, the District of Columbia, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa, and New Orleans.[5]While not every city and county ordinance applies to private employers, a growing number do:San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New Haven, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Baltimore.[6]

"Two Arizona lawmakers have pledged to push for legislation that would prohibit registered sex offenders from having unfettered access to hotel guest rooms, an effort hospitality officials say they would welcome for discussion. The announcement comes in the wake of allegations that two hotel chains with Mesa franchisees failed to properly screen an employee who was a high-level sex offender, enabling him to sexually assault at least two women in their locked hotel rooms. An official of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association said the association would definitely be amenable to discussions about the idea, and guest safety is a critical issue for the industry - ""So anything that we can do to assist in that process is definitely a goal."""