NC S545

Prohibits North Carolina state agencies from asking applicants about criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made and a waiver is signed.

Requires state agencies to inform applicants when a background check reveals criminal history and provide opportunity to respond with information about misidentification, mitigating circumstances, or rehabilitation efforts.

Mandates consideration of seven specific factors before making final employment decisions, including nature and gravity of offense, time elapsed since conviction, age at conviction, and job-relatedness of the offense.

Exempts positions where state or federal law disqualifies applicants for specific offenses and positions involving investigation, apprehension, detention, or supervision of criminal offenders, including law enforcement and correctional officers.

Requires state agencies to collect and report annually to the Office of State Human Resources the number and percentage of applicants with criminal histories who receive conditional and final job offers, with public reporting beginning April 1, 2021.