Don’t let a credit history discriminate

Bill would help put people to work regardless of credit hardships they’ve faced

Eight years after the Great Recession devastated America, our economy has improved here in New Mexico, but not for everyone. We still have the highest unemployment rate of any state and are dead last in child poverty and many other indicators of well-being. We urgently need to put our friends and neighbors back to work.

That’s why I’m so dismayed by the practice of demanding credit checks of employees before they are hired. After the worst recession to hit America since World War II, how is it fair to say someone’s work ethic should be questioned for being unable to make house payments after the market collapse? How is it fair to say a college student facing mountains of student loan debt in an attempt to secure their dreams have their job prospects threatened? How can we say to a cancer or accident survivor that they don’t deserve a job because they couldn’t afford medical bills? We can’t, and when my bill to end this practice passes, this injustice will end.

I’ve introduced Senate Bill 280 that will add credit information to the employment non-discrimination portions of the Human Rights Act. All the research, all my years of experience hiring staff, and common sense and decency say a person falling into debt has no affect whatsoever on their ability to show up on time, work hard and do their job.

Research is very clear on this point. There is no evidence to suggest that individuals with low credit ratings are more susceptible to theft or fraud. There is no evidence to suggest they are somehow untrustworthy or poor employees. These myths rely on stereotypes that exist because of ignorance of the very real effects still being felt from a recession that New Mexico has been too slow to climb out of. Even one of the three major credit bureaus acknowledges this reality: Equifax will no longer provide credit information to employers.

Too many New Mexicans have been left behind by an economy that is recovering on Wall Street but not on Central Avenue. How can we say to them after years of struggle that their hardships should be used against them when they are desperately seeking employment? The very people we most want to rejoin the workforce are not given that opportunity by this discriminatory action, which is increasingly becoming the practice of many employers.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in both houses, and the people of New Mexico to make their voices heard and support Senate Bill 280 to protect hard-working New Mexicans who just need a fair shot at a decent job and better future.