Whereas, in the United States— (1) nearly 80,000,000 people have a record of arrest or conviction; (2) an estimated 19,000,000 people have felony convictions; (3) nearly 13,000,000 people are charged each year with misdemeanor offenses; (4) 600,000 people are released each year from Federal and State prisons; (5) Black, Indigenous, and Latino people are 5, 4.2, and 2.4 times more likely than White people to be incarcerated, respectively, and also face higher rates of arrest; and (6) LGBTQ+ individuals are 3 times more likely to be incarcerated and also face higher rates of arrest; Whereas people who have been convicted of a crime and served their sentence continue to face consequences after release due to systemic biases and stigmas against formerly incarcerated individuals; Whereas recidivism rates in the United States are among the highest in the world, with almost 44 percent of people who are released returning to incarceration within 1 year; Whereas, in the United States, nearly 2/3 of the formerly incarcerated population is jobless at any given time; Whereas, in the United States, nearly 14,000 laws and regulations and 48,000 collateral consequences restrict formerly incarcerated individuals from getting professional licenses needed to work in some jobs; Whereas 20 States and the District of Columbia allow occupational licensing boards to categorically reject applicants with prior convictions; Whereas obstacles to employment, such as difficulty obtaining identification needed for employment, add undue burdens on returning citizens and formerly incarcerated individuals; Whereas formerly incarcerated individuals earn nearly $100 less per week than the average worker; Whereas fair-chance employers can leverage financial incentives, such as the work opportunity tax credit, to benefit from hiring formerly incarcerated individuals; Whereas employing returning citizens and formerly incarcerated individuals will result in a robust, vibrant, diverse, and resilient workforce