article_snippet.sent: All of them are adopting or advocating for hiring practices that open up work opportunities for people with convictions and leverage untapped potential in the labor market.
article_snippet.sent: It's one item on a menu of fair-chance hiring reforms intended to ensure that job applicants are evaluated on job applicants skills and qualifications first, rather than judged solely on past mistakes.
article_snippet.sent: These policies help reduce recidivism by making employment accessible to job-seekers who need a second chance, and These policies help break down the stigma of an arrest or conviction record.
article_snippet.sent: Two generations of the war on drugs, zero tolerance, and aggressive policing have left 70 million adults  with arrest or conviction records that undermine Two generations of the war on drugs, zero tolerance, and aggressive policing ability to be considered for jobs, even as the job market has grown steadily.
article_snippet.sent: Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently signed executive orders removing the conviction question from initial applications for state employment.
article_snippet.sent: The Obama administration took an important step toward fairer and smarter federal hiring practices last year when The Obama administration issued an executive order prohibiting contractors from discriminating against LGBT individuals.
article_snippet.sent: The Obama administration should ensure that the federal government does not continue to erect unfair and unnecessary barriers to employment of people with records.
article_snippet.sent: Now it's time for Obama to lead the way and embrace fair-chance hiring of people with records.
highlights_snippet.sent: Major companies are recognizing that those with criminal pasts can be productive workers .