S.Res. 700

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 700 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 700

Expressing support for the designation of April 1, 2026, through April 
30, 2026, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 29, 2026

Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
Padilla, Ms. Smith, Mr. Booker, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Welch) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the designation of April 1, 2026, through April 
30, 2026, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''.

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) more than 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;
Whereas having jobs that pay living wages are conducive to health, provide 
opportunities for skillset development, provide opportunities for 
promotion, and provide benefits that will facilitate stable employment 
and reduce recidivism;
Whereas returning citizens who have received vocational training while 
incarcerated are 28 percent more likely to obtain employment within 1 
year of reentry into society than those lacking such training; and
Whereas, in addition to employment insecurity, returning citizens and formerly 
incarcerated people face numerous other obstacles to reentry and 
societal reintegration, including--

(1) housing insecurity and homelessness rates that are 10 times higher 
than the general public;

(2) near total restrictions in 12 States on access to temporary 
assistance for needy families established under part A of title IV of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); and

(3) greater prevalence of chronic health conditions, lower quality and 
coverage of health insurance, and mortality rates that are 13 times higher 
than the general public: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses support for the designation of April 1, 2026, 
through April 30, 2026, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''; and
(2) supports efforts to--
(A) ensure that people directly impacted by 
incarceration obtain stable and high-quality 
employment, housing, healthcare, and nutrition;
(B) dismantle structural barriers to fair-chance 
hiring and employment, such as licensing restrictions, 
employer liability, and insurance restrictions;
(C) expand workforce development programs for 
returning citizens, formerly incarcerated individuals, 
and others directly impacted by incarceration, 
including--
(i) pre-apprenticeship programs;
(ii) registered apprenticeship programs;
(iii) career coaching, resume building, 
technology literacy, and other skillset 
development programs; and
(iv) programs that educate employers on 
best practices for, and the benefits of, fair-
chance hiring;
(D) match job providers with returning citizens and 
formerly incarcerated individuals seeking jobs;
(E) support efforts from labor unions and worker 
organizations to engage returning citizens and formerly 
incarcerated individuals who are seeking jobs;
(F) publicize work opportunities that are open to 
applicants with prior arrest or conviction records; and
(G) foster greater collaboration and dialogue 
between Federal, State, and local government agencies, 
community-based organizations, advocacy groups, 
employers, labor unions, currently and formerly 
incarcerated individuals, and others directly impacted 
by incarceration to enhance fair-chance hiring and 
employment and help to heal communities impacted by 
mass incarceration.
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