The bill amends existing laws regarding record checks for volunteers and contractors who will have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children or individuals with developmental disabilities. It mandates that various educational entities, including school districts and the Washington center for deaf and hard of hearing youth, conduct thorough background checks through the Washington State Patrol and the FBI before hiring employees in specific roles. New provisions include that the requesting entity can only access the record report in accordance with rules set by the superintendent of public instruction, and they must notify the entity of any disqualifications based on the record check. Additionally, applicants may be employed conditionally while awaiting the completion of their background checks.

The bill also expands the scope of record checks to include prospective volunteers and outlines the conditions under which these checks must be performed. It specifies that individuals with a valid portable background check clearance card can fulfill the requirements by providing their background report results. Furthermore, the bill clarifies the costs associated with record checks and establishes that the rules for implementing these checks will be adopted by the superintendent of public instruction, ensuring that access to the record check database is limited to authorized personnel only.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 28A.400.303, 28A.400.305