SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 2685

                    As of February 14, 2000

Title:  An act relating to criminal history background checks.

Brief Description:  Providing for the use of criminal history records by the secretary of social and health services in establishing licensing requirements.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Representatives D. Sommers, Tokuda and O'Brien; by request of Department of Social and Health Services).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Human Services & Corrections:

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Staff:  Joan K. Mell (786-7447)

Background:  The Department of Social and Health Services is required to investigate the conviction record or pending charges and dependency record information of applicants for agencies it licenses, the agency employees, and other persons who have unsupervised access to children in care.

A fingerprint check for state and federal background check purposes must be conducted for any person who has not resided in the state of Washington during the three-year period before being authorized to care for children.

Often these checks take an extensive period of time to complete.

Summary of Bill:  State background checks must be completed within one month, and a 120-day work permit may be granted pending clearance under a federal background check.

The department is authorized to recognize a background check, either state or federal, less than one year old.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 4, 2000.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.