(a) The secretary shall: (1) Establish within the division of public health suitable offices properly equipped for the preservation of official records; (2) maintain a complete cross-index on all records filed under the provisions of this act; (3) install a statewide system of vital statistics; (4) make and may amend, after notice and hearing, necessary regulations, give instructions and prescribe forms for collection, transcribing, compiling and preserving vital statistics; and (5) enforce this act and the regulations made pursuant thereto.

(b) Any person offered a position of employment in the office of vital statistics, subject to a criminal history records check, shall be given a written notice that a criminal history records check is required. The secretary shall require such applicant to be fingerprinted and submit to a state and national criminal history record check. The fingerprints shall be used to identify the applicant and to determine whether the applicant has a record of criminal history in this state or another jurisdiction. The secretary shall submit the fingerprints to the Kansas bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation for a state and national criminal history record check. Local and state law enforcement officers and agencies shall assist the secretary in taking and processing of fingerprints of applicants. The secretary may use the information obtained from fingerprinting and the criminal history for purposes of verifying the identification of the applicant and in the official determination of the eligibility of the applicant to perform tasks within the office of vital statistics. If the criminal history record information is used to disqualify an applicant, the applicant shall be informed in writing of that decision.