(a) Any person applying for licensure as a chiropractic physician in this State shall provide to the Board a fingerprint card in a format acceptable to the Board and a form signed by the applicant consenting to a criminal record check and the use of the applicant’s fingerprints and such other identifying information as may be required by the State or national data banks. The Board shall submit these documents to the Department of Public Safety, along with a request for a criminal record check of the applicant.

(b) Upon receipt of the Board’s submission, the Department of Public Safety shall commence the requested criminal record check. The Department of Public Safety shall forward a set of the applicant’s fingerprints to the State Bureau of Investigation for a search of the State’s criminal records, and the State Bureau of Investigation shall forward a set of the applicant’s fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a search of national criminal records. The Department of Public Safety may charge the licensure applicant a fee for performing the criminal record check.

(c) The Board shall keep all information obtained from criminal record checks privileged and confidential, in accordance with applicable State law and federal guidelines, and the information shall not be a public record under Chapter 132 of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. If the Board refuses to issue a license based in whole or part on information obtained from a criminal record check, the Board may disclose the relevant information to the applicant but shall not provide a copy of the record check to the applicant.

(d) When acting in good faith and in conformity with this section, the Board, its officers, and employees shall be immune from civil liability for initially refusing licensure based on information contained in a criminal record check supplied by the Department of Public Safety, even if the information relied upon is later shown to be erroneous. (2007-525, s. 1; 2014-100, s. 17.1(o).)