Christopher Dews

Christopher Dews

Jobs Opportunities Task Force (JOTF)

Panelist, Criminal Record Expungement: Recent Updates and What Still Needs to Change

Christopher Dews is the Senior Policy Advocate of the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) where he serves as an advocate for legislative and budget proposals that will help lower-wage wage workers and jobseekers advance to higher-wage jobs primarily through the elimination of barriers to employment. During the legislative session, Chris maintains a regular presence in Annapolis to promote JOTF's Policy Agenda that seeks to 1.) increase job access, worker benefits and skills training, 2.) reduce the impact of incarceration on Maryland's workforce and 3.) ensure affordable transit access for low-income workers and jobseekers.

Current policy efforts include: Limiting hiring discrimination via credentialism, securing paid family leave for all Marylanders, reducing the cost of auto insurance for lower-income communities, eliminating license suspensions for lower-income workers, reforming the pretrial justice system, decriminalizing poverty, and expanding access to criminal record expungement.