Rep. Deeter Applauds Passage of Bill to Clarify Background Check Procedures for Ohio Board of Nursing

COLUMBUS, OH - State Representative Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk) today announced the passage of House Bill 440, legislation that clarifies and improves the background check process for the Ohio Board of Nursing.

"This is a simple fix that will ensure that the background checks of nurses seeking licensure in Ohio will remain in trusted hands," said Rep. Deeter, who joint sponsored the bill. "I'm thankful that the Attorney General's office brought this to me and look forward to working it through the process in the Senate."

The bill specifically requires an individual, when requesting a criminal records check for Board of Nursing purposes, to submit one complete set of fingerprint impressions directly to the Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. Rather than explicitly stating this requirement, existing law relies instead on a cross-reference to the statute describing the submission of fingerprint impressions.

The Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation serves as Ohio's crime lab and criminal-records keeper, offering expert, impartial investigative services to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. They brought the bill forward to ensure compliance with federal standards and in an effort to provide clarity in current law, reinforcing the Board's access to national background check databases.

The legislation does not change any existing procedures or requirements for background checks but simply ensures that access to sensitive criminal records is properly limited to the Board of Nursing when conducting background checks for licensure.

House Bill 440, which now goes to the Senate for further consideration, includes an emergency clause to prevent any disruption in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's (BCI) ability to conduct these checks.