The bill seeks to enhance the background check process for home care workers in Washington State by revising existing laws governing the screening of long-term care workers. It prohibits the Department of Social and Health Services from automatically disqualifying individuals with certain criminal convictions after a designated period, such as three years for selling cannabis to a minor or ten years for first-degree theft. The legislation introduces provisions for a character, competence, and suitability review by authorized entities, allowing them to assess whether specific convictions should be considered in hiring or licensing decisions for positions involving vulnerable adults or children.

Additionally, the bill establishes guidelines for the frequency of background checks and permits individual providers and home care agency providers to have unsupervised access to vulnerable individuals for up to 30 days while their background checks are pending, provided they have not been disqualified based on previous checks. It mandates that clients receiving services from individual providers be informed of the background check results and their rights concerning those results. The bill also updates definitions and requirements related to background checks, including the introduction of terms like "authorized entity" and "fingerprint-based background check," while expanding the definition of "provider" to encompass a broader range of individuals involved in long-term care services.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 43.20A.715, 74.39A.056