Jun 13, 2023 @ 5:17 PM EDT | Canada, United States
As of 5:00 p.m. ET, some Sterling clients and candidates continue to experience intermittent system and service issues due to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage that started at 2:50 p.m. ET on June 13, 2023. The situation is improving across our systems and services, and some clients and candidates are now able to login into their Sterling accounts.
We will continue to monitor the situation and will share updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience.
Jun 13, 2023 @ 3:29 PM EDT | Canada, United States
On Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at approximately 2:50 p.m. ET, you may have started experiencing Sterling system and service issues due to an outage from our AWS provider. As a result, clients are unable to access their Sterling account and candidates are unable to access the Candidate Portal.
We are in communication with our cloud service provider, who is actively working to resolve issues. We will continue to share updates and appreciate your patience.
Jun 12, 2023 @ 4:12 PM EDT | Global, United States
Sterling has been following California Senate Bill 809 (SB-809) “Fair Chance Act of 2023” which was introduced on February 17, 2023. The bill would have significantly impacted criminal background screening by overhauling the California Fair Chance Act, effectively prohibiting criminal background checks absent pre-existing legislative requirements. We previously reported on the bill here.
On May 8th, 2023, the California Senate Appropriations Committee placed the bill in the “Suspense File” due to a projected budget of over $150,000. On May 18th, 2023, the bill was set for another hearing in the California Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill was “held under submission,” meaning there was some interest to continue to work on the bill, but no motion was made to move the bill out of committee. In California, bills introduced in the first year of the 2-year legislative session can be made into a 2-year bill at any time in the legislative process to allow additional work or amendments to be made to allow for the successful passage.
In summary, SB 809 is now on pause, has moved to a two-year cycle and will not be voted on in 2023. The bill’s author will have another opportunity to move the bill forward in 2024. We will continue to follow and provide updates as needed.
The Information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Sterling is not a law firm, and none of the information contained in this notice is intended as legal advice. Clients are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel about the impacts of any requirements. This and other important legislative updates can be found on the Sterling website: https://www.sterlingcheck.com/resources/compliance-updates/
May 26, 2023 @ 12:55 PM EDT | Global, United States
On May 10, 2023 Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed SB 23-058. Starting July 1, 2024, the new law prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s age, date of birth, and dates of attendance at or date of graduation from an educational institution on an initial employment application.
An employer may request an individual to verify compliance with age requirements imposed pursuant to or required by:
- A bona fide occupational qualification pertaining to public or occupational safety;
- A federal law or regulation; or
- A state or local law or regulation based on a bona fide occupational qualification.
The department of labor and employment is charged with enforcing the requirements of the bill and may issue warnings and orders of compliance for violations and, for second or subsequent violations, impose civil penalties. A violation of the restrictions does not create a private cause of action. The department is directed to adopt rules regarding procedures for handling complaints against employers.
The Information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Sterling is not a law firm, and none of the information contained in this notice is intended as legal advice. Clients are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel about the impacts of any requirements. This and other important legislative updates can be found on the Sterling website: https://www.sterlingcheck.com/resources/compliance-updates/
May 23, 2023 @ 4:42 PM EDT | United States
The Social Security Administration recently issued a new SSA-89 form (version 4-2023) used to fulfill our Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) service. The old version (12-2020) will still be accepted through September 2023, but we encourage you to begin using the new version immediately.
Additionally, our CBSV provider has announced they will be closed for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday from Friday, May 26 through Monday, May 29, 2023. Consequently, results for CBSV searches submitted during this timeframe will be delayed until Tuesday, May 30, 2023.
Thank you for your continued trust in Sterling.
May 22, 2023 @ 5:11 PM EDT | United States
Starting Wednesday, May 17, 2023, some E-Verify users may have been notified by E-Verify that their account will be terminated due to inactivity. E-Verify has confirmed that they sent email notifications to their E-Verify users, including some Sterling I-9 users, in error. Please disregard the notification. We apologize for any inconvenience.
