Ohio House Passes Bill to Strengthen the State's Criminal History and Background Check System

State Representative Andrea White (R-Kettering) today announced that the Ohio House of Representatives passed legislation that strengthens the integrity of the state's criminal history and background check system housed in the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

"Above all, this is about public safety and jobs. House Bill 689 will strengthen, modernize, and improve the integrity of Ohio's criminal identification system - the highway on which all of our background checks for jobs, professional licenses, criminal investigations, and firearms purchases run," said State Representative Andrea White. "Unfortunately, criminals haven't stopped. So just as law enforcement practices and court procedures have evolved, so must the criminal identification system evolve so that we have the best tools, processes, and information to fight crime and keep our communities safe."

"At the same time, we need a background check system that provides employers and job seekers quicker access to up-to-date," White said. "By partnering together across the criminal justice system, we are closing the gaps, making critical improvements, and leveraging technology to improve the safety and security of our communities."

The bill was created with input from professionals from courts, clerks of court, law enforcement, prosecutors, and detention facilities. These entities are responsible for providing criminal background records related to an individual's offense, fingerprints, and case disposition to the BCI.

Key updates in HB 689 to fingerprinting and disposition reporting through the state's criminal identification system - the Computerized Criminal History (CCH) - include:

• Modernizing reporting systems to improve efficiency and accuracy by requiring electronic transmission of fingerprints and disposition reports by courts, law enforcement, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC).
• Aligning fingerprinting and reporting requirements by standardizing the offenses that law enforcement and courts must ensure are fingerprinted, and clerks of courts must report case dispositions to BCI, with the Attorney General providing a uniform, reportable offenses guide for courts, law enforcement, and clerks.
  
• Streamlining mental health adjudication reporting by designating probate judges as the sole reporters to BCI for civil commitment adjudications related to mental illness.
  
• Ensuring outcomes of arrests without charges, or where cases are sent directly to a grand jury, and no charges are filed, are consistently reported back to BCI to eliminate unnecessary delays when individuals request background checks.
  
• Ensuring accurate criminal records are maintained by clarifying that incarcerated individuals must be re-fingerprinted for new charges that are filed when incidents occur during detention, including ensuring fingerprints have been completed for individuals awaiting hearings or sentenced remotely, with prints transmitted to BCI and the appropriate court clerk.
  
• Ensuring outcomes of arrests without charges, or where cases are sent directly to a grand jury, and no charges are filed, are consistently reported back to BCI to eliminate unnecessary delays when individuals request background checks.
  

White said the strong leadership of Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, and key members of his staff, including Doug Dumolt, Director of Law Enforcement Operations, helped bring key stakeholders together to identify all gaps and find solutions to help strengthen public safety and create a swifter path to employment for those seeking a job.

The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.