The City of Columbia, South Carolina, enacted an ordinance last year that appeared to require substantial changes to private employers’ criminal record and salary history inquiry practices, but various portions of the ordinance suggested that the City had actually not intended to cover private employers. As a result of an overwhelming amount of attention, the City of Columbia City Council has formally amended the ordinance to omit any coverage of private employers in the definition of “employer.” Specifically, private employers with no contracts or vending relationships with the City of Columbia can now conclude they are not covered by the criminal history and salary history ordinance.
