State Police

ORS 181A.200
Authority of Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority and Employment Department to require fingerprints

  • qualified entities
  • rules

(1)

As used in this section:

(a)

“Care” means the provision of care, treatment, education, training, instruction, supervision, placement services, recreation or support to children, the elderly or persons with disabilities.

(b)

“Native American tribe” has the meaning given that term in ORS 181A.210 (Criminal identification information to be furnished to Native American tribe) (4).

(c)

“Qualified entity” means a community mental health program, a community developmental disabilities program, a local health department, the government of a Native American tribe or an agency of a Native American tribe responsible for child welfare or an individual or business or organization, whether public, private, for-profit, nonprofit or voluntary, that provides care, including a business or organization that licenses, certifies or registers others to provide care.

(2)

For the purpose of requesting a state or nationwide criminal records check under ORS 181A.195 (Criminal records check), the Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health Authority and the Employment Department may require the fingerprints of a person:

(a)

Who is employed by or is applying for employment with either department or the authority;

(b)

Who provides or seeks to provide services to either department or the authority as a contractor, subcontractor, vendor or volunteer who:

(A)

May have contact with recipients of care;

(B)

Has access to personal information about employees of either department or the authority, recipients of care from either department or the authority or members of the public, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver license numbers, medical information, personal financial information or criminal background information;

(C)

Has access to information the disclosure of which is prohibited by state or federal laws, rules or regulations, or information that is defined as confidential under state or federal laws, rules or regulations;

(D)

Has access to property held in trust or to private property in the temporary custody of the state;

(E)

Has payroll or fiscal functions or responsibility for:

(i)

Receiving, receipting or depositing money or negotiable instruments;

(ii)

Billing, collections, setting up financial accounts or other financial transactions; or

(iii)

Purchasing or selling property;

(F)

Provides security, design or construction services for government buildings, grounds or facilities;

(G)

Has access to critical infrastructure or secure facilities information; or

(H)

Is providing information technology services and has control over or access to information technology systems;

(c)

For the purposes of licensing, certifying, registering or otherwise regulating or administering programs, persons or qualified entities that provide care;

(d)

For the purposes of employment decisions by or for qualified entities that are regulated or otherwise subject to oversight by the Department of Human Services or the Oregon Health Authority and that provide care;

(e)

For the purposes of employment decisions made by a mass transit district or transportation district for qualified entities that, under contracts with the district or the Oregon Health Authority, employ persons to operate motor vehicles for the transportation of medical assistance program clients; or

(f)

For the purposes of licensure, certification or registration of foster homes by the government of a Native American tribe or an agency of a Native American tribe responsible for child welfare.

(3)

The Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority may conduct criminal records checks on a person through the Law Enforcement Data System maintained by the Department of State Police, if deemed necessary by the Department of Human Services or the Oregon Health Authority to protect children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities or other vulnerable persons.

(4)

The Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority may furnish to qualified entities, in accordance with the rules of the Department of Human Services or the Oregon Health Authority and the rules of the Department of State Police, information received from the Law Enforcement Data System. However, any criminal offender records and information furnished to the Department of Human Services or the Oregon Health Authority by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Department of State Police may not be disseminated to qualified entities.
(5)(a) Except as otherwise provided in ORS 443.735 (Issuance of license) and 475C.770 (Findings) to 475C.919 (Authority to adopt rules for ORS 475C), a qualified entity, subject to rules adopted by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services under ORS 181A.215 (Oregon Department of Administrative Services to adopt rules relating to certain aspects of criminal records checks), shall determine under this section whether a person is fit to hold a position, provide services, be employed or, if the qualified entity has authority to make such a determination, be licensed, certified or registered. If a person is determined to be unfit, then that person may not hold the position, provide services or be employed, licensed, certified or registered.

(b)

A person prohibited from receiving public funds for employment under ORS 443.004 (Criminal records check required for employees and volunteers providing direct care) (3) is not entitled to a determination of fitness under this subsection.

(c)

In making the fitness determination under this subsection, the qualified entity shall consider:

(A)

The nature of the crime;

(B)

The facts that support the conviction or pending indictment or indicate the making of a false statement;

(C)

The relevancy, if any, of the crime or the false statement to the specific requirements of the person’s present or proposed position, services, employment, license, certification or registration; and

(D)

Intervening circumstances relevant to the responsibilities and circumstances of the position, services, employment, license, certification or registration, such as:

(i)

The passage of time since the commission of the crime;

(ii)

The age of the person at the time of the crime;

(iii)

The likelihood of a repetition of offenses;

(iv)

The subsequent commission of another relevant crime; and

(v)

The recommendation of an employer.

(6)

The Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority, subject to rules adopted by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services under ORS 181A.215 (Oregon Department of Administrative Services to adopt rules relating to certain aspects of criminal records checks), shall develop systems that maintain information regarding criminal records checks in order to minimize the administrative burden imposed by this section and ORS 181A.195 (Criminal records check). Records maintained under this subsection are confidential and may not be disseminated except for the purposes of this section and in accordance with the rules of the Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of State Police. Nothing in this subsection permits the Department of Human Services to retain fingerprint cards obtained pursuant to this section.

(7)

In addition to the rules required by ORS 181A.195 (Criminal records check), the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority, in consultation with the Department of State Police, shall adopt rules:

(a)

Specifying which qualified entities are subject to this section;

(b)

Specifying which qualified entities may request criminal offender information;

(c)

Specifying which qualified entities are responsible for deciding, subject to rules adopted by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services under ORS 181A.215 (Oregon Department of Administrative Services to adopt rules relating to certain aspects of criminal records checks), whether a subject individual is not fit for a position, service, license, certification, registration or employment; and

(d)

Specifying when a qualified entity, in lieu of conducting a completely new criminal records check, may proceed to make a fitness determination under subsection (5) of this section using the information maintained by the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.

(8)

If a person refuses to consent to the criminal records check or refuses to be fingerprinted, the qualified entity shall deny or terminate the employment of the person, or revoke or deny any applicable position, authority to provide services, employment, license, certification or registration.

(9)

If the qualified entity requires a criminal records check of employees or other persons, the application forms of the qualified entity must contain a notice that employment is subject to fingerprinting and a criminal records check. [Formerly 181.537]
Source

Last accessed
Mar. 11, 2023

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