Commission to Examine Arrest and Conviction Records as a Hiring Barrier

July 26 Meeting to Identify Impact of Employment Decisions on Protected Groups

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a public meeting at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) Tuesday, July 26, to employment barriers faced by individuals with arrest and conviction records.

The meeting will be held at EEOC headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E. In accordance with the Sunshine Act, the meeting is open for public observation of the Commission's deliberations.

The Commission will hear from invited panelists. The meeting agenda includes:

Panel 1: Best Practices for Employers 

• Michael F. Curtin, CEO, DC Central Kitchen
• Victoria Kane, Area Director, Labor Relations & Integration, Portfolio Hotels & Resorts.
• Robert Shriver, Senior Policy Counsel, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Panel 2: An Overview of Local, State and Federal Programs and Policies

• Amy Solomon, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
• Professor Stephen Saltzburg, Criminal Justice Section Delegate and Past Chair, American Bar Association
• Cornell Brooks, Executive Director, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

Panel 3: Legal Standards Governing Employers' Consideration of Criminal Arrest and Conviction Records

• Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, Latino Justice
• Barry Hartstein, Shareholder, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
• Adam Klein, Partner, Outten & Golden LLP

A brief question-and-answer session with EEOC Commissioners will follow each panel discussion.

Seating is limited and it is suggested that visitors arrive 30 minutes before the meeting in order to be processed through security and escorted to the meeting room. The Commission agenda is subject to revision. Additional information about the hearing, when available, will be posted at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/index.cfm.

The EEOC will hold open the July 26, 2011, Commission meeting record for 15 days, and invites audience members, as well as other members of the public, to submit written comments on any issues or matters discussed at the meetings. Public comments may be mailed to Commission Meeting, EEOC Executive Officer, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20507, or emailed to Commissionmeetingcomments@eeoc.gov. All comments received will be made available to members of the Commission and to Commission staff working on the matters discussed at the meetings. Comments will also be placed in the EEOC library for public review.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.