New York's City Council is about to vote on a new bill that will ban private business from asking potential job applicants if they have ever been convicted of a crime – until after the job offer has been made. The Bill, which is known as the "Fair Chance Act," would permit private employers to rescind a job offer if they discovered a prior conviction. To many of our clients this is a welcomed development. There are multitudes of people that are qualified and deserving of employment that are shut out due to these types of questions on job applications. The new bill is not perfect, though. The Bill will not affect employers who conduct routine criminal background checks. In other words, an employer will not be prohibited from conducting a formal background check as part of the application process.