Routine credit checks by employers screening job applicants may not be so commonplace in the future if several state legislators have their way.

Lawmakers in Hawaii, Connecticut, New York, Missouri and Texas, as well as the Obama administration’s acting chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have criticized unrestricted credit checks that unfairly rule out job candidates.

According to a USA Today story, roughly 43% of U.S. employers review job applicants’ credit reports for late payments on mortgages, rent, credit cards or student loans, which some argue has nothing to do with a job applicant’s ability to perform a job. Credit screening has jumped in the post-9/11 era, but in this economic slump, millions of laid-off workers are desperate for a job.

Two of the proposed bills would require employers to demonstrate that such checks were essential for hiring. Credit screening is most frequently done for bank teller positions, cashiers and others working in financial services jobs, but many times, it’s also done routinely.

What do you think about an employer checking a job candidate’s credit report? Do you think it’s important for an employer to have this information, or does it depend on the type of job that’s involved?