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                         SENATE BILL 5257

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Snyder, Sellar, Winsley, Prentice and Hale; by request of State Investment Board

Read first time 01/18/1999.  Referred to Committee on Commerce, Trade, Housing & Financial Institutions.

Providing a procedure for the state investment board to check the criminal history of prospective appointees and employees.

    AN ACT Relating to criminal history record checks of prospective appointees and employees of the state investment board; and adding a new section to chapter 43.33A RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.33A RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Notwithstanding any provision of RCW 43.43.700 through 43.43.815, the state investment board may require a criminal history record check for conviction records through the Washington state patrol criminal identification system, and through the federal bureau of investigation, for the purpose of conducting preemployment evaluations of prospective new appointees or employees for a board staff position exempt from the provisions of chapter 41.06 RCW, or any other position in which the employee will have authority for or access to funds under the jurisdiction or responsibility of the investment board, or to data security systems of the investment board or designs for such systems.  The record check shall include a fingerprint check using a complete Washington state criminal identification fingerprint card, which shall be forwarded by the state patrol to the federal bureau of investigation.

    (2) Information received by the investment board pursuant to this section shall be made available by the investment board only to board  employees involved in the selection, hiring, background investigation, or job assignment of the person who is the subject of the record check, or to that subject person, and it shall be used only for the purposes of making, supporting, or defending decisions regarding the appointment or hiring of persons for these positions, or securing any necessary bonds or other requirements for such employment.  Otherwise, the reports, and information contained therein, shall remain confidential and shall not be subject to the disclosure requirements of chapter 42.17 RCW.

    (3) Fees charged by the Washington state patrol, or the federal bureau of investigation, for conducting these investigations and providing these reports shall be paid by the investment board.

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