LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINGERPRINTING

House Bill 5543

Sponsor:  Rep. Richard LeBlanc

Committee:  Intergovernmental, Urban, and Regional Affiairs

Complete to 1-22-08

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5543 AS INTRODUCED 12-6-07

House Bill 5543 proposes a new act to allow officials in local governments to fingerprint applicants or licensees in certain occupations for the purpose of obtaining state and national criminal history record information. [As used in the bill, "local unit of government" is defined to mean a county, city, village, township, or charter township.] 

The bill specifies that notwithstanding other provisions of law, a local unit of government could, by ordinance, require the fingerprinting of applicants or licensees in certain occupations, for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information on those applicants.  Fingerprints obtained would be submitted to the Department of State Police for a state criminal history record check and, if necessary, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record check.

Under the bill, the Department of State Police would serve as the sole source for receiving fingerprint submissions from local units of government and for receiving the responses to those fingerprint submissions from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The department would then disseminate the criminal history information to the local unit of government.  Finally, the bill requires that the local unit of government transmit the appropriate fees for the state and national criminal history record checks to the Department of State Police.

FISCAL IMPACT:

To the extent a local unit makes use of this provision, there would be an indeterminate increase in local costs and in state revenue.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Jim Stansell

                                                                                                                          

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.