HF 2303 (LSB 5131HH (1) 85)

HOUSE FILE 2303

BY  DUNKEL

(COMPANION TO LSB 5131SS BY BREITBACH)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the performance of background checks for certified nurse aide training program students.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 135C.33, subsection 8, paragraph b, Code 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  Prior to a student beginning or returning to a certified nurse aide training program, the program shall request that the department of public safety perform a criminal history check and the department of human services perform child and dependent adult abuse record checks, in this state, of the student.  In lieu of requesting the criminal history check in this state, the program may conduct a comprehensive national criminal history check that incorporates criminal history records in this state. The program may contract with a third party to initiate and receive the record checks on the program’s behalf. The program or the program’s contractor may access the single contact repository established pursuant to this section as necessary for the program to initiate the record checks.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the performance of background checks for certified nurse aide training program students. These programs are approved in accordance with rules adopted by the department of human services (DHS) to train persons seeking to be a certified nurse aide.
   Current law requires the training programs to request that the department of public safety perform a criminal history check and DHS perform child and dependent adult abuse record checks, in this state, before a student begins or returns to a program. Under the bill, in lieu of requesting a criminal history check in this state by the department, the program may instead conduct a comprehensive national criminal history check that incorporates criminal history records in this state. The bill authorizes a training program to contract with a third party to initiate and receive the record checks on the program’s behalf, including accessing the single contact repository. The repository is a means of providing electronic access to data for the purpose of background checks.