(1)   

      (a)    Notwithstanding ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, the department of transportation, with the assistance of the department of justice, shall conduct a background investigation of any person who has been selected to fill a position within the division of the department of transportation responsible for issuing operator’s licenses and identification cards. This background investigation may include requiring the person to be fingerprinted on 2 fingerprint cards each bearing a complete set of the person’s fingerprints, or by other technologies approved by law enforcement agencies. The department of justice shall submit any such fingerprint cards to the federal bureau of investigation for the purposes of verifying the identity of the person fingerprinted and obtaining records of his or her criminal arrests and convictions.

      (b)    Notwithstanding ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, at any interval determined appropriate by the department, the department may conduct, in the manner specified in par. (a), additional background investigations of any person for whom an initial background investigation has been conducted under par. (a) and background investigations of other persons employed by the department within the division of the department responsible for issuing operator’s licenses and identification cards.

      (c)    The department shall promulgate rules governing confidentiality of information obtained under this subsection.

   (2)   Notwithstanding ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, the department shall require, as a precondition to allowing access to any information system in which is stored information maintained by the division of the department responsible for issuing operator’s licenses and identification cards, that any person to whom access is granted submit to a background investigation as provided in this subsection. Notwithstanding ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, the department shall require the employer, including any state agency, of any person to whom the information will be made available to conduct the background investigation in a manner prescribed by the department. The department may require, as part of this background investigation, that the person be fingerprinted in the manner described in sub. (1) (a) and that these fingerprints be provided to the department of justice for submission to the federal bureau of investigation for the purposes of verifying the identity of the person fingerprinted and obtaining records of his or her criminal arrests and convictions. Notwithstanding ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, the department shall require that the employer certify the results of the background investigation and, based upon these results, may deny or restrict access to any information requested. In addition to the initial background investigation required under this subsection, the department may require on a periodic basis subsequent background investigations consistent with this subsection for persons with ongoing access to information. Any cost associated with the requirements under this subsection is the responsibility of the employer. For purposes of this subsection, “employer” includes a self-employed person. The department shall promulgate rules governing background investigations, and confidentiality of information obtained, under this subsection.