Charles and David Koch are asking donors of their high-profile political network to soften their stances on hiring practices, specifically referring to potential employees with criminal records.
According to The Hill, Mark Holden — an official with the conservative brothers' network — sent a letter Monday about "banning the box."
Many job applications have a check box that asks if one has ever been convicted. The Koch brothers want employers to ask applicants that question later in the hiring process.
Koch Industries doesn't ask job applicants this question at all.
"By delaying this question, applicants are less likely to be rejected before their qualifications are considered," Holden wrote, according to the Hill.
"We have employed this approach for many years at Koch Industries where I work as general counsel, and we removed the question from all of our applications last year.
"This has worked well for Koch Industries and has led to the hiring of individuals who are hungry, productive, and dedicated employees."
The Koch brothers are advocates of criminal justice reform and this practice is another step in that effort.
"We believe that capable and qualified individuals who want to work hard and contribute to their communities should not be rejected at the very beginning of the hiring process," Holden wrote, reports the Hill.
"Nor should anyone be judged forever solely on what happened on their worst day."
A report at the end of last month, meanwhile, claimed the Koch brothers refused to meet with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump when the men were all in Colorado Springs. The report was later called into question.
Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, told Newsmax TV in the spring he believes a movement among conservatives is building to push for reforms to the criminal justice system.
"We need to double check that we're not keeping someone in prison for a decade longer than they need to," Norquist said. "That's $300,000 of taxpayer money that could be back with the taxpayers if somebody is ready to rejoin society."
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