A trio of leaders from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill Industries and Fifth Third Bank are calling for state elected officials to remove what they call unnecessary barriers to work. Kim Halbauer is Fifth Third’s state regional president.
“If we were rewriting a constitution, or some of the laws that we have in place today, some of the things that are felonies would no longer be felonies. And, you know, we let these things hang with people that are good, people that want to do the right thing.”
In recent years, the state’s made it easier for people who’ve committed non-violent crimes to get their records expunged and get jobs. However, Halbauer said more needs to be done – for their sake and others.
“When I think about the best way for us to have success as a state, and certainly for our bank to have success, it's to have more companies, more people, more jobs.”
Halbauer suggested forming a task force dedicated to making the expungement process more efficient, more affordable and more accessible without expanding eligibility. The group’s recommendations would be passed on to the General Assembly before next year’s session.
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