As submitted to State Affairs. The opinions expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of State Affairs. The copy has been edited for clarity and accuracy.

I was born and raised in south Georgia, the youngest of seven kids. My mom — a single parent with a ninth grade education — instilled in us that schooling would be our ticket out.

I heeded her words. I went to Georgia Southern for my bachelor’s degree and then earned my master in counseling from Webster University. I started working on my Ph.D. I did what I was supposed to do. But it didn’t matter — when prospective employers would find out I had an old criminal record, that would be all they saw.

I’m hardly unique. Some 4.3 million Georgians have a record — that’s 40% of our state’s population. These individuals face an estimated 40,000 barriers to employment, education, housing, and more. I know those barriers. I have lived with them. Incarceration can reduce lifetime earnings by up to one-third, and having a record makes someone 40% less likely to receive a callback for a job.

Our state can’t afford to maintain these restrictions. Despite record low unemployment, Georgia’s businesses are still trying to fill nearly 400,000 open positions. Three-quarters of small business owners plan to hire in the next six months — but more than half are struggling to find quality candidates.

I started my business, ReNforce, to provide education and training for companies interested in integrating system-impacted individuals into their workforces and improve employment outcomes for those leaving the prison system. I have seen firsthand the tremendous impact businesses can have by hiring individuals returning from incarceration.

Our current licensing system, however, actively makes this harder. One in 7 jobs in Georgia — and 1 in 4 high-demand jobs — require an occupational license. But individuals with old criminal records can be denied these licenses or discouraged from applying in the first place. These shortages of licensed workers, like skilled contractors, nurses, teachers, and EMTs, hurt our communities. We need to expand access to employment for our neighbors with old criminal records. By reforming our occupational licensing system, businesses will gain access to a vast, diverse and underutilized pool of qualified talent.

Luckily, our Legislature has a solution. Senate Bill 157 would reform our state’s occupational licensing systems, lowering the barriers to employment for millions of Georgians. This legislation would increase transparency for applicants seeking occupational licenses, ensure boards only consider relevant convictions, and provide basic due process protections, reducing the barriers that might prevent qualified individuals from working in licensed positions. 

That benefits all of us. Studies have shown that access to gainful employment is the main determinant of whether someone will reoffend, which means that by reducing barriers facing workers with old records, we can actually make our communities safer. The economic impact would also be profound. The U.S. loses an estimated $87 billion each year due to the underemployment of people with old criminal records — not to mention the $200 billion cost by the licensing system itself. By opening up access to licenses, and consequently, to employment, we can strengthen our economy and support businesses across the state.

I know how powerful a second chance can be. I’m not alone — businesses across the country are turning to second chance hiring to expand their workforces and improve their communities in the process. But even the best-intentioned companies are stuck working within a system that restricts access to employment just because of an old record, often for completely no reason. The vast majority of Georgia’s employers support reforms that would allow people with convictions a fairer shot at an occupational license. It’s time for the Legislature to act — it’s time to pass Senate Bill 157.

Charlotte Garnes is the Savannah-based founder of ReNForce, a nonprofit that works with businesses and system-impacted individuals to provide education and training and reduce barriers to employment. In 2013, Garnes was sentenced to five years in prison for Medicaid fraud and was released after 46 months.

Header image: Charlotte Garnes (left) with two canvassers registering formerly incarcerated people to vote and educating them on their voting rights in Georgia at the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM) 2022 Convening. (Credit: Johnny Perez/FICPFM)