Limit employment-related criminal background checks to 7 years for all states.

Not all states have the same statues regarding background checks. Some states allow for the expungement of criminal records, others do not. We need a national policy specifying what criminal information an employer and/or state licensing body can access, and for how long. Many people have made mistakes in the past, but many have also now proven, through a tenured track record, to be rehabilitated, productive members of society. Give them a chance. Productive members of society reduce crime as they can get REAL jobs to support themselves and their families. This decreases social spending, which improves the American economy. And an ex-offender with hope is a LOT less likely to commit a crime than a desperate one without hope. Other nations do this -- so should we.