Thursday, May 28, 2015

Who killed Texas' 'ban-the-box' bill?

After a promising start in the House, "ban the box" legislation - postponing questions about criminal history until later in the hiring process at state agencies - failed even to get a hearing on the senate side this year. Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee Chairman Troy Fraser refused to set it for a hearing. So it wasn't even considered, debated, and voted down, just smothered with a pillow by a single opponent in a back room. That sucks: A really good bill slain by indifference.

6 comments:

Hope said...

I fear our standard legislative process is terribly flawed. It looks like a huge, expensive demonstration of incompetence... with a deadline that just means sweep it all in the garbage and go home.

It appears to be a sad, irritating, and very costly process of backbiting and subterfuge that has little to do with good government.

Did they manage to create any new felonies this time?

Thank you, Mr. Henson for keeping us informed.

Anonymous said...

Same applies to the surcharge th I hammered Strous office and been hammering Gov. Abbot and asking for a special session. This process is a colossal failure and they need to hear from us. I will be in SA this summer knocking on doors telling the constituents of the speaker of the house what kind of shit they are electing. Thomaz Chi Tima.

Anonymous said...

There have been some isolated victories, but on balance it seems that criminal justice support and reform has not fared to well in this session. Hope Grits has a better perspective than I.

Prison Doc

Grandma said...

As most of us know, with the exception of Tony Fraser it seems, this bill would have given opportunity to 'some' to get to a place wherein they might be able to move forward. Yes, a chance of being hired. Those who have made a mistake in their past would have had a chance to be evaluated on their qualifications. Believe it or not, there are some who must check that box who have remorse and regret past decisions. The box is an automatic, NO, you will never be accepted back into society or the workplace. It screens those applicants.

At what point do we as a society begin to abuse the accused? Retributive justice is a theory of justice that considers proportionate punishment an acceptable response to crime. These 'folks' have made retribution, and they have a right to a meaningful livelihood for themselves and their families. That helps society at-large. At what point do we say they have paid for their 'crime'?

The Ban the Box bill is written as an OPTION for companies. Banning the Box legislation would give a person a fighting chance to explain themselves later in the hiring process. Who among us does not have a friend or family member caught in this situation? Shame on you Tony Fraser. I sincerely pray you never have a family member, or a friend, who must continue to check a Box on an application for a job which in turn labels them as not worthy to even be interviewed.

Please Texans, please legislators, please Tony Fraser, if you have a sense of fairness in your bones, Ban the Box legislation is some semblance of fairness for those who desperately need it.

Grandma
Watching ......

Anonymous said...

Here's his Facebook page. Share one of his photos on your own social justice or private page with the link to this article and let others know what a disgrace this man is.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007014075886&fref=ts

Grandmom said...

Yes, please, if you can, tell us if there are any new felonies, misdemeanors, punishments too, what they are, and how many. Also, have you spoken to the brazen way Joan Huffman managed again to derail the Innocence Commission through an amendment eliminating any investigation of prosecutors in determining innocent convictions and their causes? Doesn't it all come down to the prosecution? Does it surprise anyone that Huffman is an ex-prosecutor? I wonder how many innocents she convicted.