Sponsors (11)
The bill facilitates faster interstate licensure checks and limits disclosure of detailed FBI records to protect privacy and enable compact administration, but it raises risks that federal queries will surface arrest information that can delay or block licensure, reduces transparency for appeals, and imposes state compliance costs.
State licensing authorities and professionals seeking multistate licenses: allow state licensing authorities to request interstate FBI criminal-history checks to verify applicants, which can speed and standardize licensure decisions for people looking to practice across States.
Applicants whose records are checked: protects individual privacy by prohibiting Member State licensing authorities from sharing detailed FBI criminal-history records with compact commissions, other States, or the public, reducing exposure of sensitive record details.
Compact commissions and Member States: permits compact administrative functions by providing only a binary indication (background check completed and satisfactory/unsatisfactory) rather than raw records, enabling interstate coordination while limiting data exposure.
Applicants for multistate licenses: may have arrests or dispositions surfaced by federal criminal-history queries, which can delay or block licensure decisions across States and harm individuals’ employment prospects.
Applicants denied or delayed licensure: limiting information to a binary result reduces transparency and may impede applicants’ ability to access, contest, or appeal the detailed FBI records underlying a denial.
State agencies and licensing boards: will incur administrative and compliance costs to implement agreements with law enforcement bureaus, manage federal queries, and ensure prohibited disclosures are safeguarded.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal rule requiring the FBI to give criminal history records to state licensing authorities for interstate compact background checks and bars states from sharing the raw records beyond a binary result.
Requires the FBI to give state licensing authorities criminal history record information when a state is carrying out an interstate compact background check for professional licensure or compact-issued privileges. It defines key terms, forbids the state licensing authority from re-sharing the records with the compact commission, other states, or the public, and allows only notifying the commission that a check occurred and reporting a pass/fail result.
Official title: Authorize the use of Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history record information for administration of certain licenses.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Peter Welch · Last progress March 25, 2025