The Pardeeville Village Board's public protection committee is requiring all vendors and booth operators at the U.S. Watermelon Speed-eating and Seed-spitting Championships to submit to background checks. However, the impact and benefits of these background checks seem unclear.

Read the full story at: http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/news/article_c4db32d8-78ff-11df-b46e-001cc4c002e0.html

The legislature for the state of Florida is considering a bill that "requires the sanctioning authority of an independent youth athletic team to screen an applicant for sports coach." The bill has already passed three of four committees.

Read the full story at: http://www.cfnews13.com/Politics/FloridaDecides/2010/3/31/1500_proposed_bills_floating_around_state_senate.html

Nick Corcodilos with the Bellingham Herald responds to a reader question.

"I accepted an offer with a small company that outsources its benefits administration to a human resources (HR) provider. The provider asked me to sign authorization forms granting permission to run checks on my background, my credit and my former employers. They also want permission to release my information to any other employer who inquires about me.This is an invasion of privacy, and I declined to sign. They said if I didn't sign, I couldn't be hired. I declined and left.

I let the employer know what happened. I've already given notice to my current employer. The new employer hasn't called back. How should I handle this? Do I just sign these authorizations and hope they're used appropriately? Or walk as a matter of principle?"

Read his advice at: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/06/13/1469580/employers-demanding-too-much.html#ixzz0qtGnTX2r

A job fair in Racine, Wisconsin drew 436 applicants for about 35 job openings. Many applicants were disqualified early during background checks and almost 10 of every 11 people will miss out on a job opportunity.

Read the full story at: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_87704782-633b-11df-9efa-001cc4c002e0.html

If there was doubt about how common the requirement for background checks have become, then a program designed to help chronically homeless persons is a good indicator. To qualify for a pilot program that provides an apartment unit for 18 months, homeless individuals must agree to a background check and have no violent or drug felonies in the past five years.

Read the full story at: http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2010/06/11/20100611tempe-homeless-outreach-united-way.html#ixzz0qtKcgiOr

A career center in Mobile, Alabama has stopped accepting applications for oil spill cleanup workers. After more than 2,000 applications, many of the 500 workers in Mobile County will undergo background checks.

Read the full story at: http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/career_center_in_mobile_no_lon.html