Bill > H4310

This bill aims to enhance the Department of Early Education and Care's background record check procedures. Key provisions include: 1. Expanding the Department's authority to conduct background checks on adoption and foster placement agencies it licenses. 2. Allowing the Department to access additional criminal and abuse/neglect records for background checks. 3. Requiring fingerprint-based criminal history checks for all individuals with unsupervised access to children in Department-licensed or funded programs, including employees, volunteers, and household members. 4. Establishing new requirements for sex offender registry checks for various individuals associated with Department-licensed or funded programs. 5. Authorizing the Department to share background check results with adoption and foster placement agencies it licenses. 6. Outlining the circumstances under which a program can hire an individual in "provisional status" pending completion of background checks. 7. Establishing a fee structure to offset the costs of the expanded background check system. The bill aims to strengthen child protection measures by enhancing the background screening process for individuals working with or having access to children in early education and care settings.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H4310