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Don't Deny Census Jobs to Former Prisoners
  1. Signatures
    100 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-03)
  2. Created By
    Matt Kelley
    New Haven, CT
About this Petition Petition Letter

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (left) has introduced a bill in Congress that would deny census taker positions to anyone facing criminal charges or with a criminal conviction on their record. Background checks are sufficient to ensure that people with violent or dangerous histories aren't hired for these jobs, and Chaffetz' bill restricts too many people from these important temporary jobs in a difficult economy.

Millions of Americans have built new lives and left convictions years in the past, but Chaffetz wants to keep punishing them by denying them access to important federal jobs. Send him a letter today urging him to change his position on this bill.

Recent Signatures

H.R. 4484 Send the Wrong Message

Greetings,

I'm writing to urge you to reconsider your position on H.R. 4484.

Your statement in the Washington Post that you "don't want a convicted felon going to knock on Grandma's door" is extremely discouraging and offensive to the millions of Americans with criminal records who live productive lives, not to mention those faces charges for crimes they didn't commit.

I understand your concern about public safety and the census, but background checks are sufficient to prevent anyone with a violent or dangerous history from working as a census taker. Denying these important temporary jobs to everyone with a criminal charge or conviction simply goes too far and will cause far more harm than good.

More than 700,000 people are released from prisons in the United States each year, and the vast majority of them were serving time for non-violent crimes. Employment is the most effective way to rebuild a life and rejoin society, and jobs with government programs like the census can be a critical step on this path.

If we don't offer former prisoners a second chance, they are more likely to return to prison. The cycle of recidivism is extremely costly to taxpayers and doesn't do any good for anyone.

You have the power to extend a helping hand to released prisoners, but instead you're taking advantage of political opportunity to deny them second chances. Please withdraw your support and reconsider the impact of your words on the formerly incarcerated.

[Your name]

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