Sealing criminal records Columbus helps residents with $500k grant
Sealing criminal records in Columbus Ohio just got a little easier. The Columbus City Council is in receipt of a private $500,000 grant to assist the community in sealing criminal records. The grant is courtesy of the Alliance for the American Dream. Schmidt Futures put forward the competitive grant program to fund the online portal “Opportunity Port“. This facility offers…
DUI expungement for first time convictions in Michigan
A number of approved bills will encourage eligibility for DUI expungement in Michigan. Those with first time drink drive convictions can now clear their record. Thereafter automatic expungement of a juvenile offence may follow. This follows sweeping changes brought in by Gov. Whitmer. Earlier legislation excludes those who, due to an old driving offense, experience discrimination be it employment or…
background checks on gun purchases data should be current
Ohio has in recent times fallen short over background checks for gun purchases. In order to keep data current Ohio courts and law enforcement are under pressure to report criminal history. Information reporting to the State is critical to restoring confidence to it’s background check system. Consequently it has had it’s fair share of critics, the integrity of the database…
Are Pennsylvania Gun Background Checks fuelled by Social unrest
The number of Pennsylvania gun background checks almost doubled in the last quarter. This increase set against the same quarter from 2019. The increase tied to the pandemic and social unrest. The increase in PICS (Pennsylvania Instant Check System) activity was seen in the first quarter with awareness of COVID-19. However this trend has continued unabated towards record numbers. The…
Housing voucher discrimination support could be stalled
Housing Voucher Discrimination against Section 8 tenants and those with criminal records can benefit from revisions to fair housing laws. However tenants in Charlotte could see these efforts stalled by the General Assembly. The Great Neighborhoods Committee voted positively to amend State law to ban rental property owners and landlords refusing vouchers. In addition the amendments also banned landlords enquiring…
Racial Covenants in real estate despite fair housing laws
Those couples buying houses in some states find racial covenants in real estate still exist to this day. No matter how beautiful sales brochures seem the property may well hide a dark past. A purchaser may not even be aware of the covenants until they commit to the purchase by signing the documents. It is a sad statement on society…