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Final Revisions to 606 CMR 14.00: Criminal Offender and Other Background Record Checks

Final Revisions to 606 CMR 14.00: Criminal Offender and Other Background Record Checks. March 3, 2014 Policy and Research Committee Presentation. 1. Why Amend the Regulations?.

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Final Revisions to 606 CMR 14.00: Criminal Offender and Other Background Record Checks

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  1. Final Revisions to 606 CMR 14.00: Criminal Offender and Other Background Record Checks March 3, 2014 Policy and Research Committee Presentation 1

  2. Why Amend the Regulations? • Effective September 1, 2013, the Governor signed a bill amending EEC’s Enabling Act (G.L. c. 15D) by requiring EEC to conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, as well as Sexual Offender Registry Information (SORI) checks. • See Chapter 459 of the Acts of 2012 (as amended by Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2013)

  3. Emergency Regulations Adopted • Board of Early Education and Care voted to adopt amended emergency regulations on December 10, 2013. • Public Comment Period held from December 12, 2013 to January 14, 2014. • EEC received two written sets of public comments. • 175 e-mail inquiries have been sent to dedicated EEC Fingerprint mailbox.

  4. Summary of Common Themes from Public Comment Received by EEC • EEC received uniform support for stronger background checks, including fingerprint-based checks and SORI checks. • The most frequent concerns raised were: • The $35.00 cost for an individual to get fingerprinted is excessive/not affordable. • Confusion over whether volunteers, interns, and other infrequent visitors to programs must get fingerprinted. • Concern regarding how frequently an individual must get fingerprinted, particularly if an individuals changes jobs. • Questions regarding EEC’s ability to share fingerprint-based suitability determinations with another EEC program or an ESE program.

  5. Public Comment: Fingerprinting Fees

  6. Public Comment: Personnel Subject to Background Record Check

  7. Public Comment: Frequency of Fingerprinting

  8. Public Comment: Sharing of Suitability Determinations

  9. Other Changes to the Regulations: • EEC broadened the definition of “candidate” to include transportation providers and family child care systems personnel. 606 CMR 14.05. • The definition of “hiring authority” has been reworded to clarify that EEC is responsible for reviewing background record check results of family child care programs, including household members and persons regularly on the premises, family child care assistants, licensees, reviewers, transportation providers, informal non-relative and relative caregivers, and family child care systems employees. 606 CMR 14.05. • The regulations establish EEC’s role in conducting background record check requirements for transportation providers. 606 CMR 14.09(2). • The regulations allow EEC to require programs to remove applicants working conditionally prior to the completion of a discretionary review, if fingerprint results present an unacceptable risk to children. 606 CMR 14.12.

  10. Next Steps

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