Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact; criminal background check.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information about specific timelines for completing background checks, financial assistance for applicants who cannot afford the costs, or consequences following a denial due to criminal history.

Dental Compact Background Checks

This bill sets up a process for dental professionals to get criminal background checks when they apply for licenses under the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.

What This Bill Does

• Requires people applying for compact-eligible dental licenses to provide fingerprints and personal information for a background check.
• Directs the Central Criminal Records Exchange to send criminal history results to the Board of Dentistry.
• Allows applicants who disagree with their background check results to request copies from the FBI and the Central Criminal Records Exchange.

Who It Names or Affects

• Applicants seeking compact-eligible dental licenses
• The Board of Dentistry
• Central Criminal Records Exchange

Terms To Know

compact-eligible licensure

A type of license that allows dentists and dental hygienists to practice in multiple states under the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.

Central Criminal Records Exchange

An agency responsible for managing criminal records in Virginia.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how long it takes to complete background checks.
• It is unclear what happens if an applicant cannot afford the cost of fingerprinting and background checks.
• The bill does not address what happens after a denial based on criminal history.

Official Summary Text

Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact; criminal background check.
Establishes the procedure by which the Board of Dentistry shall fulfill the criminal background check requirement of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. The bill requires applicants for compact-eligible licensure to provide fingerprints and personal identifying information for a criminal background check, directs the Central Criminal Records Exchange to disseminate criminal history information obtained to the Board, and establishes the process by which an applicant may obtain their criminal history record in the event that such applicant disputes the criminal history information on which a denial of licensure is based.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 5 of Chapter 27 of Title 54.1 a section numbered
54.1-2729.03
, relating to Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact; criminal background check.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 5 of Chapter 27 of Title 54.1 a section numbered
54.1-2729.03
as follows:

§
54.1-2729.03
. Criminal background check.

The Board shall require each applicant for
compact-eligible licensure
to complete a criminal background check pursuant to the requirements of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact
as set out in
§
54.1-2729.02
.
Each
applicant shall submit fingerprints and provide personal descriptive information to be forwarded along with his fingerprints through the Central Criminal Records Exchange to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information regarding the applicant. The cost of fingerprinting and the criminal history record search shall be paid by the applicant.

The Central Criminal Records Exchange shall forward the results of the state and federal criminal history record search to the Board, which shall be a governmental entity. If an applicant is denied licensure because of information appearing on his criminal history record and the applicant disputes the information upon which the denial was based, the Central Criminal Records Exchange shall, upon written request, furnish to the applicant the procedures for obtaining a copy of the criminal history record from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Criminal Records Exchange.
Such
information shall not be disseminated except as provided in this section.