The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is revising its regulations pertaining to when, during the hiring process, a hiring agency can request from an applicant information typically collected during a background investigation.  The rule has been undertaken to promote compliance with Merit System Principles, as well the goal of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council and the President’s Memorandum of January 31, 2014, Enhancing Safeguards To Prevent the Undue Denial of Federal Employment Opportunities to the Unemployed and Those Facing Financial Difficulty Through No Fault of Their Own. The intended effect of this proposal is to better ensure that applicants from all segments of society, including those with prior criminal histories, receive a fair opportunity to compete for Federal employment.