As of Tuesday, March 30, 2021, drug test registration through Quest has been disabled due to an issue with the Quest system. We are working with Quest to resolve the issue and, in the meantime, we are manually re-registering any impacted candidates. Thank you for your patience.
Update on March 25, 2021: Please be advised updated state income tax withholding forms are available on SterlingONE for the following 24 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. As a reminder, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also published the 2021 version of the form W-4, and the 2021 versions of the forms are up to date on SterlingONE. Changes to the state forms were minimal, no major functionality has changed. For the federal Form W-4, only the income tables were updated and the date on the forms, no other changes were made to the instructions. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. Thank you for your continued trust in Sterling.
Update on February 18, 2021: Please be advised Idaho, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, and Kentucky have updated their 2021 state income tax withholding form. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also published the 2021 version of the form W-4, and the 2021 versions of the forms are up to date on SterlingONE. Changes to the state forms were minimal, no major functionality has changed. For the federal Form W-4, only the income tables were updated and the date on the forms, no other changes were made to the instructions. In coming weeks, we will update the 2021 state income tax withholding form for Michigan, Kansas, Maine, Iowa, and Maryland. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. Thank you for your continued trust in Sterling.
Update on December 21, 2020: Please be advised Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin have updated their 2021 state income tax withholding forms. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also published the 2021 version of the form W-4. As of Friday, December 18, 2020, the 2021 versions of the forms are up to date on SterlingONE. Changes to the state forms were minimal, no major functionality has changed. For the federal Form W-4, only the income tables were updated and the date on the form, no other changes were made to the instructions. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. Thank you for your continued trust in Sterling.
Update on Wednesday: March 24, 2021: On Saturday, March 20, 2021, Southern Indiana Federal District searches became unavailable due to a system issue that also impacted National Federal and Indiana State Federal Criminal searches. Please note fulfillment resumed on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, and pending searches will be processed by end of day Thursday, March 25, 2021. Thank you for your patience.
Update on Tuesday, March 23, 2021: As of Saturday, March 20, 2021, Southern Indiana Federal District searches are unavailable due to a system issue that is also impacting National Federal and Indiana State Federal Criminal searches. Please note we are monitoring the situation to determine a date of restoration. We will communicate updates as they become available. In the meantime, please expect processing delays. Thank you for your patience.
On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1480 into law, which includes amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act (the “Amendments”) as it relates to employers’ consideration of applicants’ and employees’ conviction records. Effective immediately, the Amendments establish that it shall be considered a civil rights violation for any employer, employment agency, or labor organization to disqualify or take adverse action against an individual on the basis of their conviction record, unless the following criteria are met:
To determine if the above criteria are met, employers must conduct an individualized assessment in which they consider six factors, each of which are included among the EEOC’s 2012 Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. These factors are:
If, after such an assessment is completed, the employer tentatively determines the individual to be precluded, they must notify them in writing of such a preliminary decision. This notice must indicate the conviction or convictions that are the reason for their potential disqualification, include a copy of the conviction history report, provide an explanation of their right to dispute their record or provide mitigating evidence before a final decision is made, and allow 5 days for such responses before making a final decision. When making a final decision, employers must consider any information submitted by the individual during this period. If the final decision results in disqualification or other adverse action, the employer must notify the individual again in writing of their final decision, explaining that the decision was made in response to their conviction history with the specific conviction(s) identified, and provide any procedures they may have for the employee to challenge the decision or to request that the employer reconsider. This final notice must also reference an individual’s right to file a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Illinois employers should review the Amendments against their current onboarding, screening, and adverse action practices in consultation with their legal counsel. In addition, Chicago employers should review and consider any practices in place to comply with the city’s Human Rights Ordinance, as the state requirements are more exacting in that they apply to current employees as well as applicants, require individualized assessments by private employers, and require employers to denote the reason for potential disqualification on both initial and final adverse action notices.
Sterling clients should contact their account representative if they would like to make updates to their services to more closely align with the requirements of the Amendments, such as modifying their adverse action settings and notices.
In addition to amending the Illinois Human Rights Act, SB 1480 also amends the state’s Business Corporation Act to require applicable businesses to include data substantially similar to that included in Section D of their EEO-1 filing in their annual report to the Secretary of State, and Equal Pay Act to require certain businesses to apply for equal pay certificates and submit compliance statements to the Director of Labor. Employers should similarly review these updates and consult with their counsel on the potential impacts to their business.
The full text of SB 1480 can be found here.
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/
Form I-9 Compliance will be performing regularly scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, from 1:00 a.m. to 2:59 a.m. ET. During this time, Form I-9 and E-Verify may be intermittently available. Thank you for your patience.
On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, Sterling experienced technical issues processing Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) searches. Please note we resolved the issue on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, and pending searches will be processed by end of day, Monday, March 22, 2021. Thank you for your patience.