Certificates of Qualification for Employment (CQEs) increase the likelihood that people with criminal records will be considered for jobs, licensing, and certification. Senate Bill 3 will make the CQE petition process more usable for individuals by removing a technical and confusing step in the petition process, expanding eligibility to more jobseekers, and designating rule-making authority to the DRC to create criteria for shortening a person’s wait time for submitting a CQE petition. Because 1 in 6 Ohioans has some sort of criminal record, this bill could potentially affect over 1.9 million people in Ohio, many of whom are not able to get jobs in well-paying fields that require licensing or certification. This keeps individuals and their families in poverty. The Ohio Poverty Law Center testified in support of Senate Bill 3 during a hearing in the Senate Transportation, Commerce and Workforce Committee. Congratulations to the Committee for tackling this very important issue. For more information, download the testimony by clicking here.