(a) (1) (A) A criminal record clearance shall be conducted for all nurse assistants by the submission of fingerprint images and related information to the state department for processing at the Department of Justice. The licensing and certification program shall issue an All Facilities Letter (AFL) to facility licensees when both of the following criteria are met:

(i) The program receives, within three business days, 95 percent of its total responses indicating no evidence of recorded criminal information from the Department of Justice.

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(ii) The program processes 95 percent of its total responses requiring disqualification in accordance with subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1337.9, as that section read on January 1, 2014, no later than 45 days after the date that the report is received from the Department of Justice.

(B) After the AFL is issued, licensees shall not allow nurse assistant trainees or newly hired nurse assistants to have direct contact with clients or residents of the facility prior to completion of the criminal record clearance. A criminal record clearance shall be complete when the department has obtained the person‘s criminal offender record information search response information from the Department of Justice and has determined that the person is not disqualified from engaging in the activity for which clearance is required. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may, without taking regulatory action pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, implement, interpret, or make specific this paragraph by means of an AFL or similar instruction. The fee to cover the processing costs of the Department of Justice, not including the costs associated with capturing or transmitting the fingerprint images and related information, shall not exceed thirty-two dollars ($32) per submission.

(C) An applicant or certificate holder who may be disqualified on the basis of a criminal conviction shall provide the department with a certified copy of the judgment of each conviction. In addition, the individual may, during a period of two years after the department receives the criminal record report, provide the department with evidence of good character and rehabilitation in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 1337.9. Upon receipt of a new application for certification of the individual, the department may receive and consider the evidence during the two-year period without requiring additional fingerprint imaging to clear the individual.

(D) The department’s Licensing and Certification Program shall explore and implement methods for maximizing its efficiency in processing criminal record clearances within the requirements of law, including a streamlined clearance process for persons who have been disqualified on the basis of criminal convictions.

(2) (A) Upon enrollment in a training program for nurse assistant certification, and prior to direct contact with residents, a candidate for training shall submit a training and examination application and the fingerprint cards to the state department to receive a criminal record review through the Department of Justice. Submission of the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall be at the discretion of the state department.

(B) An applicant and any other person specified in this subdivision, as part of the background clearance process, shall provide information as to whether or not the person has any prior criminal convictions, has had any arrests within the past 12-month period, or has any active arrests, and shall certify that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the information provided is true. This requirement is not intended to duplicate existing requirements for individuals who are required to submit fingerprint images as part of a criminal background clearance process. Every applicant shall provide information on any prior administrative action taken against him or her by any federal, state, or local government agency and shall certify that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the information provided is true. An applicant or other person required to provide information pursuant to this section that knowingly or willfully makes false statements, representations, or omissions may be subject to administrative action, including, but not limited to, denial of his or her application or exemption or revocation of any exemption previously granted.

(3) Each health facility that operates and is used as a clinical skills site for certification training, and each health facility, prior to hiring a nurse assistant applicant certified in another state or country, shall arrange for and pay the cost of the fingerprint live scan service and the Department of Justice processing costs for each applicant. Health facilities may not pass these costs through to nurse assistant applicants unless allowed by federal law enacted subsequent to the effective date of this paragraph.

(b) The use of fingerprint live scan technology implemented by the Department of Justice by the year 1999 shall be used by the Department of Justice to generate timely and accurate positive fingerprint identification prior to nurse assistant certification and prior to direct contact with residents by the nurse assistant applicant. The department shall explore options to work with private and governmental agencies to ensure that licensees have adequate access to electronic transmission sites, including requiring the department to maintain a contract for electronic transmission services in each of the district offices where facilities have indicated problems with timely access to electronic transmission sites or consistent delays of more than three business days in obtaining appointments for electronic transmission services through a private entity, government agency, or law enforcement agency.

(c) The state department shall develop procedures to ensure that any licensee, direct care staff, or certificate holder for whom a criminal record has been obtained pursuant to this section or Section 1265.5 or 1736 shall not be required to obtain multiple criminal record clearances.

(d) If the department is experiencing a delay in processing the renewal of the certified nursing assistant’s certification at the time of the expiration of the certified nursing assistant’s certification, the department may extend the expiration of the certified nursing assistant’s certification for six months.

(e) If, at any time, the department determines that it does not meet the standards specified in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), for a period of 90 consecutive days, the requirements in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be inoperative until the department can demonstrate it has met those standards for a period of 90 consecutive days.

(f) During any time in which the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) are inoperative, facilities may allow newly hired nurse assistants to have direct contact with clients or residents of the facility after those persons have submitted live scan fingerprint images to the Department of Justice, and the department shall issue an AFL advising facilities of this change in the statutory requirements.

(g) Notwithstanding any other law, the department is authorized to provide an individual with a copy of his or her state or federal level criminal offender record information search response as provided to that department by the Department of Justice if the department has denied a criminal background clearance based on this information and the individual makes a written request to the department for a copy specifying an address to which it is to be sent. The state or federal level criminal offender record information search response shall not be modified or altered from its form or content as provided by the Department of Justice and shall be provided to the address specified by the individual in their written request. The department shall retain a copy of the individual’s written request and the response and date provided.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 847, Sec. 2. (SB 1384) Effective January 1, 2015.)