2. a. The Superintendent of State Police, with the approval of the Attorney General, shall, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations authorizing the dissemination, by the State Bureau of Identification, of criminal history record background information requested by State, county and local government agencies, including the Division of State Police, in noncriminal matters, or requested by individuals, nongovernmental entities or other governmental entities whose access to such criminal history record background information is not prohibited by law. A fee not to exceed $30 shall be imposed for processing fingerprint identification checks; a fee not to exceed $18 shall be imposed for processing criminal history name search identification checks. These fees shall be in addition to any other fees required by law. In addition to any fee specified herein, a nonrefundable fee, the amount of which shall be determined by the Superintendent of State Police, with the approval of the Attorney General, shall be collected to cover the cost of securing and processing a federal criminal records check for each applicant.

b. State, county and local government agencies, including the Division of State Police, and nongovernmental entities are authorized to impose and collect the processing fee established pursuant to subsection a. of this section from the person for whom the criminal history record background check is being processed or from the party requesting the criminal history record background check. The Superintendent of State Police shall provide this processing service without the collection of fees from the applicants in processing background checks of prospective resource family parents or members of their immediate families. In such cases, the Department of Children and Families shall be responsible for paying the fees imposed pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Superintendent of State Police, with the approval of the Attorney General, from providing this processing service without the collection of fees from the applicant in other circumstances which in his sole discretion he deems appropriate, if the applicants would not receive a wage or salary for the time and services they provide to an organization or who are considered volunteers. In those circumstances where the Superintendent of State Police, with the approval of the Attorney General, determines to provide this processing service without the collection of fees to the individual applicants, the superintendent may assess the fees for providing this service on behalf of the applicants to any department of State, county or municipal government which is responsible for operating or overseeing that volunteer program. The agencies shall transfer all moneys collected for the processing fee to the Division of State Police.

L.1985, c.69, s.2; amended 1994, c.60, s.4; 2003, c.117, s.17; 2004, c.130, s.121; 2006, c.47, s.200.