State Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Bellevue is pictured taking the oath of office earlier this month.

A state lawmaker took the opportunity to make a political point after President Donald Trump took the oath of office on Monday.

State Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Bellevue, said she plans to introduce legislation banning criminal background checks for employment in Pennsylvania. Kinkead was critical of Trump by releasing the co-sponsorship memorandum on Monday hours after Trump was inaugurated. Trump was convicted of 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Despite his conviction by jury, Trump received an unconditional discharge, a sentence that affirms he’s a convicted felon but that comes with no further penalties.

“In light of the inauguration of the first President in U.S. history with not just one but 34 felony convictions on his record, it is clear that our nation has moved beyond holding people responsible for their worst mistakes forever,” Kinkead wrote in her co-sponsorship memorandum. “However, even after serving out their sentences, millions of Americans with far fewer felony convictions or only misdemeanor or summary offense convictions on their records face additional legal and regulatory sanctions and restrictions due to their criminal records. Across the country, tens of millions of individuals who are simply seeking to rebuild their lives must contend with these collateral consequences of conviction, with the vast majority relating to employment opportunities.”

The legislation is largely symbolic since it is unlikely to progress through the state Senate. But Democrats in state legislatures across the country have been arguing for an end to criminal background checks for employment for years, citing studies they say that gainful and consistent employment is the single most effective prevention against recidivism. Kinkead said her legislation, once drafted, would provide individuals with criminal records a greater chance of finding good jobs.

“As state representatives, our job is to increase opportunities for all of our constituents, no matter their background,” Kinkead wrote. “It is time that we stop defining people by the worst thing that they have ever done and provide relief from collateral consequences of conviction related to employment, for the benefit of all.”