Bill Text: GA HB70 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Early care and learning; fingerprint records checks; require
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-04-03 - House Withdrawn, Recommitted [HB70 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HB70-Comm_Sub.html
09 LC 38
0788S
The
House Committee on Children and Youth offers the following substitute to HB
70:
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Chapter 1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to early care and learning, so as to require certain employees to have state and
national fingerprint records checks prior to employment; to revise certain
definitions; to change certain provisions relating to records check requirements
for applicants and notification to such applicants; to change certain provisions
relating to requirements of individuals residing in family day-care homes; to
remove preliminary records checks of employees and require state and national
fingerprint determinations, except in limited circumstances; to provide that
directors convicted of certain criminal acts lose the ability to serve as
directors; to provide for criminal background checks for current directors,
employees, and certain other persons; to provide for related matters; to provide
for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Chapter
1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to early care
and learning, is amended by revising Article 2, relating to background checks,
as follows:
"ARTICLE
2
20-1A-30.
As
used in this article, the term:
(1)
'Center' means a day-care center, group day-care home, family day-care home, or
child care learning center which is required to be licensed or registered under
Article 1 of this chapter.
(2)
'Conviction' means a finding or verdict of guilty or a plea of guilty regardless
of whether an appeal of the conviction has been sought.
(3)
'Crime' means:
(A)
Any
any
felony;
(B)
A
a
violation of Code Section 16-5-23, relating to simple battery, when the victim
is a minor;
(C)
A
a
violation of Code Section 16-12-1, relating to contributing to the delinquency
of a minor;
(D)
A
a
violation of Chapter 6 of Title 16, relating to sexual offenses;
(E)
A
a
violation of Code Section 16-4-1, relating to criminal attempt when the crime
attempted is any of the crimes specified by this paragraph; or
(F)
Any
any
other offenses committed in another jurisdiction which, if committed in this
state, would be one of the enumerated crimes listed in this
paragraph.
(4)
'Criminal record' means:
(A)
Conviction of a crime;
(B)
Arrest, charge, and sentencing for a crime where:
(i)
A plea of nolo contendere was entered to the charge;
(ii)
First offender treatment without adjudication of guilt pursuant to the charge
was granted; provided, however, that this division shall not apply to a
violation of Chapter 13 of Title 16, relating to controlled substances, or any
other offense committed in another jurisdiction which, if it were committed in
this state, would be a violation of Chapter 13 of Title 16 if such violation or
offense constituted only simple possession; or
(iii)
Adjudication or sentence was otherwise withheld or not entered on the charge;
provided, however, that this division shall not apply to a violation of Chapter
13 of Title 16, relating to controlled substances, or any other offense
committed in another jurisdiction which, if it were committed in this state,
would be a violation of Chapter 13 of Title 16 if such violation or offense
constituted only simple possession; or
(C)
Arrest and being charged for a crime if the charge is pending, unless the time
for prosecuting such crime has expired pursuant to Chapter 3 of Title
17.
(5)
'Director' means the
chief
administrative or executive officer of
on-site
manager of a facility
who is
responsible for hiring
employees.
(6)
'Emergency temporary employee' means an employee other than a director whose
duties involve personal contact between that person and any child being cared
for at the facility and who is hired on an expedited basis to avoid
noncompliance with staffing standards for centers required by law, rule, or
regulation.
(7)
'Employee' means any person, other than a director, employed by a center to
perform at any of the center's facilities any duties which involve personal
contact between that person and any child being cared for at the facility and
also includes any adult person who resides at the facility or who, with or
without compensation, performs duties for the center which involve personal
contact between that person and any child being cared for by the
center.
(8)
'Employment history' means a record of where a person has worked for the past
ten years.
(9)
'Facility' means a center's real property at which children are received for
care.
(10)
'Fingerprint records check determination' means a satisfactory or unsatisfactory
determination by the department based upon a records check comparison of GCIC
information with fingerprints and other information in a records check
application.
(10)
'Fingerprint' means an inked fingerprint card or an electronic image of a
person's fingerprint.
(11)
'GCIC' means the Georgia Crime Information Center established under Article 2 of
Chapter 3 of Title 35.
(12)
'GCIC information' means criminal history record
information,
as defined in Code Section
35-3-30, from
GCIC.
(13)
'License' means the document issued by the department to authorize the center to
which it is issued to operate a facility.
(14)
'National fingerprint records check determination' means a
satisfactory
or unsatisfactory determination by the
department in accordance with applicable
law
laws
based upon a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a search of
bureau records and fingerprints.
(15)
'Preliminary records check application' means an application for a preliminary
records check determination on forms provided by the department.
(15)
'NCIC' means the National Crime Information Center.
(16)
'NCIC
information' means criminal history record information, as defined in Code
Section 35-3-30, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(17)
'Preliminary records check determination' means a
satisfactory
or unsatisfactory determination by the
department based only upon a comparison of GCIC information with other than
fingerprint information regarding the person upon whom the records check is
being performed.
(17)(18)
'Records check application' means two sets of classifiable fingerprints, a
records search fee to be established by the board by rule and regulation,
payable in such form as the department may direct to cover the cost of a
state
fingerprint records check
determination
and national fingerprint records check
determination under this article, and an
affidavit by the applicant disclosing the nature and date of any arrest, charge,
or conviction of such applicant for the violation of any law, except for motor
vehicle parking violations, whether or not the violation occurred in this state,
and such additional information as the department may require.
(18)(19)
'Satisfactory determination' means a written determination that a person for
whom a records check was performed was found to have no criminal
record.
(19)(20)
'State fingerprint records check determination' means a
satisfactory
or unsatisfactory determination by the
department in accordance with applicable
law
laws
based upon a records check comparison of GCIC information with fingerprints and
other information in a records check application.
(20)(21)
'Unsatisfactory determination' means a written determination that a person for
whom a records check was performed has a criminal record.
20-1A-31.
(a)
Each center shall be required to obtain a separate license for each facility and
shall have a separate director for each facility.
(b)
An applicant for a new license shall apply for a separate license for each new
facility in this state owned or operated by that applicant and shall have a
separate director for each such facility.
20-1A-32.
Accompanying
any application for a new license for a facility, the applicant shall furnish to
the department a records check application for the director and
a
satisfactory preliminary records check for
each employee of such facility. In lieu of such records check applications, the
applicant may submit evidence, satisfactory to the department, that within the
immediately preceding 12
months,
the director
or any
employee received
a
satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check
determinations
and each employee received a satisfactory preliminary records
check determination, or that any employee
other than the director whose
preliminary
records check
application
revealed a criminal record of any kind has either subsequently received
a
satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check
determinations
determination
or has had the unsatisfactory determination reversed in accordance with Code
Section 20-1A-43. The department may either perform
preliminary
records
criminal
background checks under agreement with
GCIC or contract with GCIC and appropriate law enforcement agencies which have
access to NCIC
information and GCIC information to have
those agencies perform for the department a
preliminary
records
criminal
background check for each
preliminary
records check application
director,
employee, or adult living in a family day-care
center submitted
thereto
by the department. Either the department or the appropriate law enforcement
agencies may charge reasonable fees for performing
preliminary
records
criminal
background checks.
20-1A-33.
After
being furnished the required records check application under Code Section
20-1A-32,
the department shall notify
in
writing the license applicant
in
writing as to each person for whom
an
a records
check application was received regarding
whether the department's determination as to that person's state fingerprint
records check
determination
was satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If the
preliminary
records check determination was satisfactory as to each employee of an
applicant's facility and the state
fingerprint records check
determination
was satisfactory as to the director
and each
employee, that applicant may be issued a
license for that facility if
the
such
applicant otherwise qualifies for a license under Article 1 of this chapter. If
the state
or
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check determination was unsatisfactory as to the director of
an applicant's facility,
the
that
applicant shall designate another director for that facility after receiving
notification of
the
such
unsatisfactory determination and proceed
under Code Section 20-1A-32 and this Code section to obtain
a
state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records
checks
check
determination for that newly designated
director. If the
preliminary
records check
state
fingerprint records check determination and national fingerprint records check
determination for any employee other than
the director
revealed a
criminal record of any kind
was
unsatisfactory, such employee shall not be
allowed to work in the center until he or she either has obtained
a
satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check
determinations
determination
or has had the unsatisfactory determination reversed in accordance with Code
Section 20-1A-43. If the determination was unsatisfactory as to any employee of
an applicant's facility,
the
that
applicant shall, after receiving notification of that
unsatisfactory
determination, take such steps as are necessary so that such person is no longer
an employee.
Any
employee other than the director who receives a satisfactory preliminary records
check shall not be required to obtain a fingerprint records check unless such an
employee has been designated as a director or as permitted by the provisions of
subsection (c) of Code Section
20-1A-39.
20-1A-34.
The
department shall transmit to GCIC both sets of fingerprints and the records
search fee from each
fingerprint
records check application. Upon receipt thereof, GCIC shall promptly transmit
one set of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a search of
bureau records and an appropriate report and shall retain the other set and
promptly conduct a search of its records and records to which it has access.
Within ten days after receiving fingerprints acceptable to GCIC, the
application, and fee, GCIC shall notify the department in writing of any
derogatory finding,
including,
but not limited
to,
any criminal record, of the state fingerprint records check
determination
or if there is no such finding. After a search of Federal Bureau of
Investigation records and fingerprints and upon receipt of the bureau's report,
the department shall make a national fingerprint records determination
within ten
business days of receiving such
report.
20-1A-35.
(a)
After receiving a Federal Bureau of Investigation report regarding a national
fingerprint records check
under Code
Section 20-1A-34
determination,
the department shall make a determination based thereon and notify
in
writing the license applicant
in
writing as to whether
that
the national
fingerprint records check
determination
was satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If the national fingerprint records check
determination was unsatisfactory as to the director of an applicant's facility,
after receiving notification of that
unsatisfactory
determination, that applicant shall designate another director for such facility
for which director the applicant has not received or made an unsatisfactory
preliminary
records check
determination or
state
fingerprint records check determination and
national
fingerprint records check determination
and proceed under the requirements of Code
Sections 20-1A-32 through 20-1A-34 and this Code section to obtain
a
state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check
determinations
determination
for
the
such
newly designated director. The director
and any
employee may begin working upon the
receipt of a satisfactory state fingerprint records check determination
pending the
receipt of the
and
national fingerprint records check determination from the
department.
(b)
The department
may
shall
revoke the license of
that
any
facility if
the
facility
it
fails to comply with the requirements of this Code section and Code Section
20-1A-33 to receive
a
satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint
determinations
records check
determination on the director
or to
comply with Code Section 20-1A-33
regarding
and
all employees
other than
the director.
20-1A-36.
No
facility operated as an early care and education program or similar facility or
any operator of such a facility shall employ any person who has been convicted
of or who has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any offense
specified in Code Section 16-12-1.1 or allow any such person to reside at or be
domiciled at such facility in violation of Code Section 16-12-1.1. The
department shall either deny the issuance of or revoke the license, commission,
or registration of any such facility violating the provisions of this Code
section. The powers and duties set forth in this Code section are cumulative
and not intended to limit the powers and duties set forth throughout this
article.
20-1A-37.
(a)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this article,
an
Any
individual who
is 18 years of
age or older who resides in a family
day-care
home, as
defined by Code Section 20-1A-2, shall
not
be required to provide
fingerprints
for routine fingerprints records checks if the operator of the family day-care
home provides the department with an affidavit stating that such individual is
not present in the home at the same time as the children who are received for
pay for supervision and care. However, all persons residing in a family
day-care home are required to obtain satisfactory preliminary records checks and
submit them to the department
a records
check application. Such individual's fingerprints shall be submitted for a
state fingerprint records check determination and national fingerprint records
check determination. Such individual may reside at the family day-care home
upon receipt of a satisfactory state fingerprint records check determination
pending the receipt of the national fingerprint records check determination from
the department. If the state fingerprint records check determination is
unsatisfactory, the department shall notify the operator of the family day-care
home, and such individual shall not be allowed to reside at the family day-care
home until such individual has obtained a satisfactory state fingerprint records
check determination and national fingerprint records check determination or has
had the unsatisfactory determination reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43. The department shall revoke the license of a family day-care home if
such home fails to comply with the requirements of this Code
section.
(b)
As an alternative to the requirements set out in this article pertaining to
obtaining preliminary criminal records check determinations through the
department for employees of centers and adults residing in a family day-care
home, but not including directors of centers, centers may obtain GCIC
information through local law enforcement agencies. The center shall be
responsible for reviewing the GCIC information obtained for the potential
employee or adult residing in the family day-care home and making a written
determination that the individual does not have a criminal record as defined in
this article. This written determination, together with all supporting
documentation received from any law enforcement agency, must be maintained in
the center's file and available for inspection by the department. This
satisfactory determination must be made before the employee begins any duties
for the center.
20-1A-37.1.
(a)
Where
However,
where there is an urgent need for an
emergency temporary employee to work at a center's facility in order to avoid
immediate noncompliance with staffing requirements, such center may utilize the
employee
applicant as an emergency temporary employee after applying for the preliminary
records check
determination
through the local law enforcement agency
and
completing the affidavit. In such
emergency situations, the director of the center
must
shall
complete an affidavit, with all supporting documentation attached thereto,
stating that the GCIC information has been requested through an identified local
law enforcement agency and that the results were not immediately available to
the center prior to assigning the employee to work with children at the center's
facility in order to avoid immediate noncompliance with staffing ratios. The
affidavit with supporting documentation
must
shall
be maintained in the center's file on the individual and
shall
be available to the department for
inspection. The director shall review the GCIC information upon receipt, but in
no case shall an emergency temporary employee be permitted to continue working
for more than
three
ten
days without having a satisfactory
state
fingerprint records check determination
made by the
director
and national
fingerprint records check determination
made and entered into the center's file on
the employee with all supporting documentation. The department shall promulgate
rules and regulations limiting the extent to which centers are authorized to use
emergency temporary employees in accordance with this subsection.
(b)
Employees, emergency temporary employees, and other adults required to have
records
checks
check
applications who are utilized by centers
are
shall
be subject to all other requirements set
forth in this article. Where the department has reason to question the validity
of the NCIC
information or GCIC information or the
satisfactory determination
made by the
center, the department may require the
employee, emergency temporary employee, or other adult to submit a
preliminary
criminal records check application through
the department together with appropriate fees.
20-1A-38.
(a)
If the director of a facility which has been issued a license ceases to be the
director of that facility, the licensee shall thereupon designate a new
director. After such change, the licensee of that facility shall notify the
department of such change and of any additional information the department may
require regarding the newly designated director of that facility. Such
information shall
include,
but not be limited
to,
any information the licensee may have regarding preliminary
records check
determinations or
any
state
fingerprint records check determinations
and national
fingerprint records check determinations
regarding that director. After receiving a change of director notification, the
department shall make a written determination from the information furnished
with such notification and the department's own records as to whether
satisfactory or unsatisfactory preliminary
records check
determinations or state
fingerprint
records check determinations and national
fingerprint records check determinations have ever been made for the newly
designated director. If the department determines that such director within 12
months prior thereto has had satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determinations and national
fingerprint records check determinations, such determinations shall be deemed to
be satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determinations and national
fingerprint records check determinations as to that director. The license of
that facility shall not be adversely affected by that change in director, and
the licensee shall be so notified.
(b)
If the department determines under subsection (a) of this Code section that
there has ever been an unsatisfactory preliminary
records check
determination or state
fingerprint
records check determination or national
fingerprint records check determination of the newly designated director which
has not been legally reversed, the center and that director shall be so
notified. The license for that director's facility shall be indefinitely
suspended or revoked unless the center designates another director for whom it
has not received or made an unsatisfactory preliminary
records check
determination or state
fingerprint
records check determination or national
fingerprint records check determination and proceeds pursuant to the provisions
of this Code section relating to a change of director.
(c)
If the department determines under subsection (a) of this Code section that
there have been no state
fingerprint
records check determinations and national
fingerprint records check determinations regarding the newly designated director
within the immediately preceding 12 months, the department shall so notify the
center. The center shall furnish to the department the
fingerprint
records check application of the newly designated director after the date the
notification is sent by the
department,
or the license of that facility shall be indefinitely suspended or revoked. If
that
fingerprint
records check application is so received, unless the department has within the
immediately preceding 12 months made a satisfactory state fingerprint records
check determination regarding the newly designated director, the department
shall perform a state fingerprint records check determination of the newly
designated director, and the applicant and that director shall be so notified.
If that determination is unsatisfactory, the provisions of subsection (b) of
this Code section regarding procedures after notification shall apply. If that
determination is satisfactory, the department shall perform a national
fingerprint records check determination for that director as provided in Code
Sections
Section
20-1A-34 and
subsection (a)
of Code Section 20-1A-35. The director
may begin working upon the receipt of a satisfactory state fingerprint records
check determination pending the receipt of the national fingerprint records
check determination from the department. If that determination is satisfactory,
the center and director for whom the determination was made shall be so notified
after the department makes its determination, and the license for the facility
at which that person is the newly designated director shall not be adversely
affected by that change of director. If that determination is unsatisfactory,
the provisions of subsection (b) of this Code section shall apply.
20-1A-39.
(a)
Before a person may become an employee other than a director of any center after
that center has received a license, that center shall require that person to
obtain a satisfactory
preliminary
records check
state
fingerprint records check determination pending the receipt of the national
fingerprint records check determination.
The center shall maintain documentation in the employee's personnel file,
which
is available to the department upon
request, which reflects that a satisfactory
preliminary
criminal
state
fingerprint records check
determination
was received before the employee
began
begins
working with children. If the
preliminary
state
fingerprint records check
determination
for any potential employee other than the director
reveals a
criminal record of any kind
is
unsatisfactory, such potential employee
shall not be allowed to begin working until either such potential employee has
obtained
a
satisfactory state
fingerprint
records check determination and national
fingerprint records check
determinations
determination
or has had the unsatisfactory
preliminary
or
state
fingerprint records check determination or
national fingerprint records check
determination reversed in accordance with Code Section 20-1A-43. If
either the
preliminary or
the
state
fingerprint
records check determination or national
fingerprint records determination is unsatisfactory, the center shall, after
receiving notification of
the
such
unsatisfactory determination, take such
steps as are necessary so that such person is no longer an employee.
Any
potential employee other than the director who receives a satisfactory
preliminary records check determination shall not be required to obtain a
fingerprint records check determination except as permitted in accordance with
subsection (c) of this Code section.
(b)
A license
is
shall
be subject to suspension or
revocation,
and the department
may
shall
refuse to issue a license if a director or employee does not undergo the records
and
fingerprint checks
check
application applicable to that director or
employee and receive satisfactory determinations.
(c)
After the issuance of a license, the department may require a
state
fingerprint records check
determination
and a national fingerprint records
determination on any director or employee
to confirm identification for records search purposes, when the department has
reason to believe the
director
or employee has a criminal record that
renders the
director
or employee ineligible to have contact
with children in the center, or during the course of a child abuse investigation
involving the director or employee.
(d)
No center
may
shall
hire any person as an employee unless there is on file in the center an
employment history and a satisfactory
preliminary
state
fingerprint records check
determination
and national fingerprint records check
determination or, if the
preliminary
state
fingerprint records check determination
revealed a
criminal record of any kind
and national
fingerprint records check determination was
unsatisfactory as to such person,
either
satisfactory state and satisfactory national records check determinations for
that person or proof that
an
such
unsatisfactory determination has been reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43.
(e)
A director of a facility having an employee whom that director knows
or should
reasonably know to have a criminal record
that renders the employee ineligible to have contact with children in the center
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
If a director
is convicted, including a plea of nolo contendre, pursuant to this subsection,
such director shall not be eligible to remain as or become a director subsequent
to such conviction.
20-1A-39.1.
On
or before one year after the effective date of this Act, the department shall
perform a criminal background check for each person who, as of the effective
date of this Act, was a director of, employee of, or adult living in a family
day-care center requiring a satisfactory state fingerprint records check
determination and national fingerprint records check determination, the same as
required under this article for new directors, employees, or adults living in a
family day-care center on the effective date of this Act, unless such person is
no longer a director of, employee of, or adult living in a family day-care
center at the time a criminal background check would otherwise be performed
under this Code section. If any such person has an unsatisfactory state
fingerprint records check determination or national fingerprint records check
determination, such person shall follow the procedure set forth in Code Section
20-1A-43.
20-1A-40.
(a)
GCIC and law enforcement agencies which have access to GCIC information shall
cooperate with the department in performing preliminary
records check
determinations, and
GCIC and law
enforcement agencies which have access to NCIC information or GCIC information
shall cooperate with the department in performing
state fingerprint records
checks
check
determinations and national fingerprint records check
determinations required under this article
and shall provide such information so required for such records checks
notwithstanding any other law to the contrary and may charge reasonable fees
therefor.
(b)
Any person who knowingly and under false pretenses requests, obtains, or
attempts to obtain
NCIC
information or GCIC information otherwise
authorized to be obtained pursuant to this article, or who knowingly
communicates or attempts to communicate such information obtained pursuant to
this article to any person or entity except in accordance with this article, or
who knowingly uses or attempts to use such information obtained pursuant to this
article for any purpose other than as authorized by this article shall be fined
not more than $5,000.00, imprisoned for not more than two years, or
both.
20-1A-41.
(a)
Neither GCIC,
NCIC,
the department, any law enforcement agency, nor the employees of any such
entities shall be responsible for the accuracy of information nor have any
liability for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, or any other claim in
connection with any dissemination of information or determination based thereon
pursuant to this article.
(b)
A center, its director, and its employees shall have no liability for
defamation, invasion of privacy, or any other claim based upon good faith action
thereby pursuant to the requirements of this article.
20-1A-42.
The
requirements of this article are supplemental to any requirements for a license
imposed by Article 1 of this chapter.
20-1A-43.
A
determination by the department regarding preliminary
records check
determinations or
state
fingerprint records check determinations or
national fingerprint records
checks
check
determinations under this article, or any
action by the department revoking, suspending, or refusing to grant or renew a
license based upon such determination, shall constitute a contested case for
purposes of Chapter 13 of Title 50, the 'Georgia Administrative Procedure Act,'
except that any hearing required to be held pursuant thereto may be held
reasonably expeditiously after such determination or action by the department.
It is expressly provided that upon motion from any party, the hearing officer
may, in his or her discretion, consider matters in mitigation of any conviction,
provided that the hearing officer examines the circumstances of the case and
makes an independent finding that no physical harm was done to a victim and also
examines the character and employment history since the conviction and
determines that there is no propensity for cruel behavior or behavior involving
moral turpitude on the part of the person making a motion for an exception to
sanctions normally imposed. If the hearing officer deems a hearing to be
appropriate, he or she will also notify at least 30 days prior to such hearing
the office of the prosecuting attorney who initiated the prosecution of the case
in question in order to allow
the
such
prosecutor to object to a possible determination that
the
such
conviction would not be a bar for the grant or continuation of a license or
employment as contemplated within this chapter. If objections are made, the
hearing officer
will
shall
take such objections into consideration in considering the case.
20-1A-44.
The
board is authorized to provide by regulation for the administration of this
article."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for
purposes of this Act in an appropriations Act making specific reference to this
Act and shall become when funds so appropriated become available for
expenditure.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.