An Act To Protect Job Applicants from Identity Theft

Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §600-A  is enacted to read:

§ 600-A.  Prospective employees' social security numbers

An employer may not request a social security number from a prospective employee on an employment application or during the application process for employment. This section does not apply to intake of prospective employee information for the purposes of substance abuse testing under subchapter 3-A or a preemployment background check or to information required for tax withholding and other necessary purposes after the employee is hired.

SUMMARY

This bill prohibits an employer from requesting a social security number from a prospective employee on an employment application or during the application process for employment. This bill does not apply to the intake of information for substance abuse testing or a preemployment background check or after the employee is hired as required for tax withholding and other necessary purposes.