Unpaid debt should not keep Ohioans from working

Ohio’s businesses continue to face challenges recruiting, and retaining, top talent.

Companies like Intel, Honda, and LG Energy are making significant investments in the state – only to be confronted with recruiting challenges. There are only 62 available workers for every 100 jobs.

As Gov. Mike Dewine has noted in his efforts to address the talent gap, “Ohio is creating more jobs than we can fill.”

As business leaders, we have a responsibility to look for innovative, scalable solutions to help solve this problem. Enter Fair Chance Hiring.

At Hot Chicken Takeover, we have seen firsthand the benefits that come from welcoming back into the workforce individuals – including those who have been previously incarcerated – who might otherwise continue to be marginalized.

This is especially critical for individuals with criminal records. There are more than 40,000 collateral consequences of an old record, which create serious barriers to employment and meaningful reentry.

Businesses, too, see significant benefits from hiring from this talent pool.

Employers who hire justice-impacted workers report that their quality of work and contributions are on par with or better than other employees, and turnover rates are notably lower.

Data indicates that fair-chance hires have a lower turnover rate than other employees, saving companies and their HR departments valuable time and money.

Fair Chance hiring may also produce a snowball effect; 73% of employees say they would prefer to work for a company with fair-chance hiring practices.

April marks Second Chance Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the barriers faced by individuals with criminal records and unlock brighter futures for returning citizens.

While there are significant steps forward that businesses can take on their own, employers must also advocate to remove the barriers facing this population – barriers like debt-related driver’s license suspensions.

Senate Bill 198 is a common-sense solution that would ensure hard-working Ohioans can continue contributing to the economy and to their communities. More than 80% of Ohioans drive to work.

A valid driver’s license is an essential part of participating in the economy.

Yet we consistently force drivers off the road – and out of the labor market — for reasons completely unrelated to driving. In Ohio, the inability to pay a debt can lead to a license suspension, causing people to lose their jobs.

This, in turn, nonsensically decreases the ability to pay and often leads to increased debt thanks to continually accrued interest and penalties.

Ohio drivers face more than 3 million debt-related suspensions annually, representing more than $900 million in debt each year.

That debt is disproportionately borne by the Ohioans with the lowest ability to pay, especially people of color.

Debt-related suspensions cost residents of Ohio’s highest-poverty zip codes an average of $7.9 million each year, and those with the highest percentages of people of color an average of $12 million each year.

Conversely, restoring these licenses will benefit everyone. One study found that the restoration of just 7,000 licenses led to an estimated GDP increase of $249.6 million.

Debt-related suspensions impact fair chance employees.

They are also a barrier to prospective fair chance employers. Even businesses who want to tap into the justice-impacted talent pool and give meaningful second chances to returning citizens can’t do so if those potential hires have suspended licenses and can’t get to work.

Amid our ongoing labor shortage, it is more important than ever for our legislature to take action and allow employers to tap into this skilled, hard-working, and dedicated talent pool.

Benefits extend beyond the economic. Maintaining gainful employment is the single biggest factor in preventing recidivism.

By keeping drivers on the road – and in their jobs – and by hiring individuals with criminal records, we can actually make Ohio a safer place to live and work.

If Ohio is going to solve its labor shortage, improve community safety, and put justice-impacted Ohioans back to work, the state has to achieve equity in transportation and commuting.

Senate Bill 198 is a common-sense solution that would ensure hardworking Ohioans can continue contributing to the economy and to their communities. I strongly urge the legislature to pass this bill.

Hot Chicken Takeover CEO Phil Petrilli is a restaurant industry leader with 30+ years experience growing national and small fast casual brands.