93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB6979

 

Introduced 02/09/04, by Kathleen A. Ryg

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 46/30
225 ILCS 46/40
225 ILCS 46/45
225 ILCS 46/50
225 ILCS 46/35 rep.

    Amends the Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Provides that Uniform Conviction Information Act criminal history records checks and searches of the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history records database must be initiated for persons entering a nurse aid training program, persons seeking to be included on the nurse aide registry, and employees of health care workers with duties that involve direct care for clients, patients, or residents. Effective immediately.


LRB093 19938 AMC 45682 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB6979 LRB093 19938 AMC 45682 b

1     AN ACT concerning health care workers.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Health Care Worker Background Check Act is
5 amended by changing Sections 30, 40, 45, and 50 as follows:
 
6     (225 ILCS 46/30)
7     Sec. 30. Non-fingerprint based UCIA Criminal records
8 check.
9     (a) Beginning on January 1, 1997, An educational entity,
10 other than a secondary school, conducting a nurse aide training
11 program must initiate a UCIA criminal history records check and
12 have a search of the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal
13 history records database conducted prior to entry of an
14 individual into the training program. A nurse aide seeking to
15 be included on the nurse aide registry shall authorize the
16 Department of Public Health or its designee that tests nurse
17 aides or the health care employer or its designee to request
18 the a criminal history record check pursuant to this Section
19 the Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA) for each nurse
20 aide applying for inclusion on the State nurse aide registry.
21 Any nurse aide not submitting the required authorization and
22 information for the record check will not be added to the State
23 nurse aide registry. A nurse aide will not be entered on the
24 State nurse aide registry if the results of the record check
25 indicate report from the Department of State Police indicates
26 that the nurse aide has a record of conviction of any of the
27 criminal offenses enumerated in Section 25 unless the nurse
28 aide's identity is validated and it is determined that the
29 nurse aide does not have a disqualifying criminal history
30 record based upon a fingerprint-based records check pursuant to
31 Section 35 or the nurse aide receives a waiver pursuant to
32 Section 40.

 

 

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1     (b) The Department of Public Health shall notify each
2 health care employer inquiring as to the information on the
3 State nurse aide registry of the date of the nurse aide's last
4 UCIA criminal history record check. If it has been more than
5 one year since the records check, the health care employer must
6 initiate or have initiated on his or her behalf a UCIA criminal
7 history record check and have a search of the Federal Bureau of
8 Investigation criminal history records database conducted for
9 the nurse aide pursuant to this Section. The health care
10 employer must send a copy of the results of the record check to
11 the State nurse aide registry for an individual employed as a
12 nurse aide.
13     (c) Beginning January 1, 1996, A health care employer who
14 makes a conditional offer of employment to an applicant other
15 than a nurse aide for position with duties that involve direct
16 care for clients, patients, or residents must initiate or have
17 initiated on his or her behalf a UCIA criminal history record
18 check and have a search of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
19 criminal history records database conducted for that
20 applicant.
21     (d) No later than January 1, 1997, A health care employer
22 must initiate or have initiated on his or her behalf a UCIA
23 criminal history record check and have a search of the Federal
24 Bureau of Investigation criminal history records database
25 conducted for all employees other than those enumerated in
26 subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this Section with duties that
27 involve direct care for clients, patients, or residents. A
28 health care employer having actual knowledge from a source
29 other than a non-fingerprint check that an employee has been
30 convicted of committing or attempting to commit one of the
31 offenses enumerated in Section 25 of this Act must initiate a
32 fingerprint-based background check within 10 working days of
33 acquiring that knowledge. The employer may continue to employ
34 that individual in a direct care position, may reassign that
35 individual to a non-direct care position, or may suspend the
36 individual until the results of the fingerprint-based

 

 

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1 background check are received.
2     (e) The criminal history records check shall be undertaken
3 after the fingerprinting of an applicant in the form and manner
4 prescribed by the Department of State Police. The investigation
5 shall consist of a criminal history records check performed by
6 the Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of
7 Investigation, or some other entity that has the ability to
8 check the applicant's fingerprints against the fingerprint
9 records now and hereafter filed in the Department of State
10 Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history
11 records databases. The request for a UCIA criminal history
12 record check must be in the form prescribed by the Department
13 of State Police.
14     (f) The applicant or employee must be notified of the
15 following whenever a criminal history records non-fingerprint
16 check is made:
17         (i) that the health care employer shall request or have
18     requested on his or her behalf a UCIA criminal history
19     record check and have a search of the Federal Bureau of
20     Investigation criminal history records database conducted
21     pursuant to this Act;
22         (ii) that the applicant or employee has a right to
23     obtain a copy of the criminal records report from the
24     health care employer, challenge the accuracy and
25     completeness of the report, and request a waiver under
26     Section 40 of this Act;
27         (iii) that the applicant, if hired conditionally, may
28     be terminated if the criminal records report indicates that
29     the applicant has a record of conviction of any of the
30     criminal offenses enumerated in Section 25 unless the
31     applicant's identity is validated and it is determined that
32     the applicant does not have a disqualifying criminal
33     history record based on a fingerprint-based records check
34     pursuant to Section 35.
35         (iv) that the applicant, if not hired conditionally,
36     shall not be hired if the criminal records report indicates

 

 

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1     that the applicant has a record of conviction of any of the
2     criminal offenses enumerated in Section 25 unless the
3     applicant's record is cleared based on a fingerprint-based
4     records check pursuant to Section 35.
5         (v) that the employee may be terminated if the criminal
6     records report indicates that the employee has a record of
7     conviction of any of the criminal offenses enumerated in
8     Section 25 unless the employee's record is cleared based on
9     a fingerprint-based records check pursuant to Section 35.
10     (g) A health care employer may conditionally employ an
11 applicant to provide direct care for up to 3 months pending the
12 results of a UCIA criminal history record check under this
13 Section.
14     (h) An employer need not initiate an additional criminal
15 background check for an employee if the employer initiated a
16 criminal background history records check for the employee
17 within one year before the effective date of this amendatory
18 Act of the 93rd General Assembly. Any person newly employed on
19 or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
20 General Assembly must receive a background check as required by
21 this Section.
22 (Source: P.A. 91-598, eff. 1-1-00.)
 
23     (225 ILCS 46/40)
24     Sec. 40. Waiver.
25     (a) (Blank). An applicant, employee, or nurse aide may
26 request a waiver of the prohibition against employment by
27 submitting the following information to the entity responsible
28 for inspecting, licensing, certifying, or registering the
29 health care employer within 5 working days after the receipt of
30 the criminal records report:
31         (1) Information necessary to initiate a
32     fingerprint-based UCIA criminal records check in a form and
33     manner prescribed by the Department of State Police; and
34         (2) The fee for a fingerprint-based UCIA criminal
35     records check, which shall not exceed the actual cost of

 

 

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1     the record check.
2     (a-5) (Blank). The entity responsible for inspecting,
3 licensing, certifying, or registering the health care employer
4 may accept the results of the fingerprint-based UCIA criminal
5 records check instead of the items required by paragraphs (1)
6 and (2) of subsection (a).
7     (b) The entity responsible for inspecting, licensing,
8 certifying, or registering the health care employer may grant a
9 waiver based upon any mitigating circumstances, which may
10 include, but need not be limited to:
11         (1) The age of the individual at which the crime was
12     committed;
13         (2) The circumstances surrounding the crime;
14         (3) The length of time since the conviction;
15         (4) The applicant or employee's criminal history since
16     the conviction;
17         (5) The applicant or employee's work history;
18         (6) The applicant or employee's current employment
19     references;
20         (7) The applicant or employee's character references;
21         (8) Nurse aide registry records; and
22         (9) Other evidence demonstrating the ability of the
23     applicant or employee to perform the employment
24     responsibilities competently and evidence that the
25     applicant or employee does not pose a threat to the health
26     or safety of residents, patients, or clients.
27     (c) The entity responsible for inspecting, licensing,
28 certifying, or registering a health care employer must inform
29 the health care employer if a waiver is being sought and must
30 act upon the waiver request within 30 days of receipt of all
31 necessary information, as defined by rule.
32     (d) An individual shall not be employed in a direct care
33 position from the time that the employer receives the results
34 of a criminal history records non-fingerprint check containing
35 disqualifying conditions until the time that the individual
36 receives a waiver from the Department. If the individual

 

 

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1 challenges the results of the non-fingerprint check, the
2 employer may continue to employ the individual in a direct care
3 position if the individual presents convincing evidence to the
4 employer that the non-fingerprint check is invalid. If the
5 individual challenges the results of the non-fingerprint
6 check, his or her identity shall be validated by a
7 fingerprint-based records check in accordance with Section 35.
8     (e) The entity responsible for inspecting, licensing,
9 certifying, or registering the health care employer shall be
10 immune from liability for any waivers granted under this
11 Section.
12     (f) A health care employer is not obligated to employ or
13 offer permanent employment to an applicant, or to retain an
14 employee who is granted a waiver under this Section.
15 (Source: P.A. 91-598, eff. 1-1-00.)
 
16     (225 ILCS 46/45)
17     Sec. 45. Application fees. Except as otherwise provided in
18 this Act, the applicant or employee, other than a nurse aide,
19 may be required to pay all related application and
20 fingerprinting fees including, but not limited to, the amounts
21 required established by the UCIA to conduct UCIA criminal
22 history record checks and the amounts established by the
23 Department of State Police to process the fingerprint-based
24 UCIA criminal records checks required by this Act. If a health
25 care employer certified to participate in the Medicaid program
26 pays the fees, the fees shall be a direct pass-through on the
27 cost report submitted by the employer to the Medicaid agency.
28 (Source: P.A. 89-197, eff. 7-21-95.)
 
29     (225 ILCS 46/50)
30     Sec. 50. Health care employer files. The health care
31 employer shall retain on file for a period of 5 years records
32 of criminal records requests for all employees. The health care
33 employer shall retain the results of the UCIA criminal history
34 records check and waiver, if appropriate, for the duration of

 

 

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1 the individual's employment. The files shall be subject to
2 inspection by the agency responsible for inspecting,
3 licensing, or certifying the health care employer. A fine of up
4 to $500 may be imposed by the appropriate agency for failure to
5 maintain these records.
6 (Source: P.A. 89-197, eff. 7-21-95; 89-674, eff. 8-14-96.)
 
7     (225 ILCS 46/35 rep.)
8     Section 10. The Health Care Worker Background Check Act is
9 amended by repealing Section 35.
 
10     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11 becoming law.