'Ban the box' bill passes House committee

BATON ROUGE - A bipartisan push to prevent state employers from asking job applicants about criminal histories until after interviews has received House committee backing.Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, a Baton Rouge Democrat, says her "ban the box" bill joins a national movement to employ former inmates.“We need to look at ways that we can get people back into the workforce and they become tax payers like the rest of us,” Marcelle said.The proposal applies to the state's politicall