Bad credit may keep you from getting a new car, buying your first home and worse — finding a job.

On Sept. 15, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced the Equal Employment for All Act in an op-ed on Credit.com criticizing American employers’ ability to check the credit history of job applicants with the potential employee’s permission. The lawmakers argue that this practice discriminates against those who have long struggled with academic hardship or were merely victims of an economy in recession.

“This is an issue of basic fairness”, the legislators wrote in the op-ed. “Americans should be able to compete for jobs on their merits, not on whether they have enough money to pay all their bills. Much of America—hard-working, bill-paying America—has damaged credit. It is wrong to shut them out of the job market.”

After all, countless Americans were devastated by the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis that still affects their credit today. Homeowners were unable to sell their homes, leading to foreclosures and short sales. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 235,000 businesses closed their doors as a result of the Great Recession.

Many hardworking people still feel the aftershocks today, and using a bad credit score as an excuse not to hire them is simply unfair. According to a TransUnion credit bureau representative, “they don’t have any research to show any statistical correlation between what’s in somebody’s credit report and their job performance.” Even still, some employers use credit reports to determine if candidates are right for the job.

There are, however, exceptions to the law. For example, employers would be able to conduct a credit check if the job requires a security clearance. According to ThinkProgress, “The latter situation is one of the few where a person’s credit history is actually relevant to their qualifications for employment: Someone in financial trouble is more vulnerable to bribery or blackmail.”

Forty-five percent of employers in a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management said that they conduct credit checks to prevent theft and embezzlement. However, these reports may be flawed altogether. “Not only are credit reports poor indicators of job performance,” the op-ed said, “but in many cases they aren’t even accurate.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported in 2013 that as many as 1 in 5 consumers could identify at least one error in their credit reports.” This means that job seekers could be rejected by an employer for an unknown and innaccurate mistake on their credit report.

Warren, known for her egalitarian principles and general allegiance to the middle class, seeks to strengthen the workforce by allowing those who are best qualified for positions are able to attain them, even if said candidate is economically disadvantaged. The bill would impede hiring discrimination based on age and sex, since African-Americans, Latinos and seniors are more likely to be affected by bad credit.

Warren and Cohen’s Equal Employment for All Act is cosponsored by a list of notable legislators including Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions where it will either be tabled or released to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

The Equal Employment for All Act aims to help those who need a job most. Americans should be hired based on their ability and commitment to a job, not on their personal financial history.