We are using this Policy Circle to help us identify and plan for the urgent unmet needs of persons with disabilities and where the Law Center’s high impact legal strategies could create positive change.
May 15, 2020–As the nation began to take on the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized $350 bullion in loans and grants administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support small businesses that have lost revenue. It soon became apparent that business owners with criminal histories–in some cases, only consisting of arrests without conviction–face barriers when […]
A criminal record shouldn’t be a barrier to the Paycheck Protection Program | Opinion This commentary was originally published in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. By Claudia De Palma, Staff Attorney, Public Interest Law Center Jamie Gullen, Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia April 27, 2020 — Tianna is a 37-year-old woman who owns her own […]
April 10, 2020–As part of the CARES Act, Congress has authorized $350 billion in loans and grants administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support small businesses through two programs, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program. We joined more than a dozen civil rights organizations across the country to […]
In collaboration with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Law Center filed a joint public comment opposing a rule change proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that would require applicants for federal employment to disclose their participation in diversion programs.
The Public Interest Law Center, together with other legal advocacy organizations, filed an amicus brief in support of an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from a decision by the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review that interpreted state law to deny unemployment benefits to an individual who was incarcerated on weekends.
For over 27 years, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) has served millions of people with disabilities. However, on July 26, 2017, the anniversary of the ADA, many business associations signed onto a letter of support for the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 620). This act would hinder people with […]
The Public Interest Law Center, in partnership with the Homeless Advocacy Project and Community Legal Services, filed an amicus brief in an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court by Daniel Harmon who was unlawfully denied unemployment benefits. The Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review’s ruling that denied Mr. Harmon’s unemployment benefits undermines efforts by state […]
Minutes before Philadelphia’s City Council voted on a ‘Ban the Box’ ordinance on March 31st, 2011, Law Center Executive Director Jennifer Clarke argued in favor of the proposal, which bans employers from asking about a job applicant’s convictions during the initial phase of the hiring process.
At the invitation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), the Law Center submitted comments in January 2010 on new proposed legal guidance regarding the use of criminal records checks to exclude job applicants.
