Politics. On Point.

Today at the White House, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, and other White House officials hosted 19 companies from across the American economy who are standing with the Obama Administration as founding pledge takers to launch the Fair Chance Business Pledge. The pledge represents a call-to-action for all members of the private sector to improve their communities by eliminating barriers for those with a criminal record and creating a pathway for a second chance. Companies signing the pledge today include: American Airlines, Busboys and Poets, The Coca-Cola Company, Facebook, Georgia Pacific, Google, Greyston Bakery, The Hershey Company, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, Koch Industries, Libra Group, PepsiCo, Prudential, Starbucks, Uber, Under Amour/Plank Industries, Unilever and Xerox. Right now, there are approximately 2.2 million Americans behind bars. The United States accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population, ...

A bill making it unlawful for employees to question applicants about having a felony on their record has been approved. The 'Ban-the-Box' bill hopes to increase employment opportunities for applicants with prior convictions. Democratic Senator A. Donald McEachin  (Richmond, VA) was one of many in support of the bill. "This legislation means that a state employee applicant will not be kicked out simply because he has to check the box saying he had a prior conviction.  If qualified for a position and granted an interview, he will then have the opportunity to explain his history and the interviewer can make a reasoned judgment", McEachin wrote in a press release. Employees can still do background checks on prospective employees, but with the new legislation, applicants won't have to check whether or not they have previous convictions. Richmond, Virginia joins five other cities in Virginia: New Port News, Norfolk, Petersburg, and Portsmouth,  in support of...