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Committee approves bill allowing Department of Finance to enroll employees and contractors in continuous "Rapback" background checks
Summary
House Bill 19 would authorize the Department of Finance to participate in state (and eventually federal) Rapback notifications so the department can be alerted when employees or contractors commit certain offenses between periodic checks; committee voted to release the bill to the floor.
Representative Hosinski presented House Bill 19, saying the measure authorizes continuous background‑check notifications (Rapback) for employees and contractors with access to Department of Finance systems. Under current practice, the department performs periodic checks — typically every five years for some employees — and the bill would let the department enroll people in Rapback so it would receive notifications if an enrolled individual is charged with or convicted of specified offenses.
Rebecca (Erica) Goldsmith, deputy secretary of finance, explained operational detail and compliance considerations. She said the federal Publication 1075 requires some staff who access federal tax information (FTI) to be fingerprinted and rechecked every five years; Rapback does not eliminate those statutory requirements but will provide interim notifications. "Right now the state as a whole has not yet gained access to federal wrap backs. We can do state wrap back now," Goldsmith told the committee, adding Rapback will ensure there are no gaps between periodic background checks.
Committee members asked about frequency and notice to employees. Goldsmith said employees are given normal notification that background checks are part of employment and that current processes (physically obtaining checks through SBI and notifying employees of results) remain in place. The bill also clarifies that contractors and third parties who require access to department systems can be included.
The committee voted to release HB 19 to the floor. Roll call recorded unanimous support in committee: Chair Harris — Yes; Vice Chair Rosinski — Yes; Speaker Maya Brown — Yes; Representative Dukes — Yes; Representative Spiegleman — Yes. The motion carried. No virtual public commenters registered on the bill during the hearing; one in‑person commenter (Rebecca Will Smith) was thanked for attending.
Why it matters: HB 19 changes the department's authority to receive ongoing notifications about certain criminal activity involving employees or contractors, which supporters say reduces the risk of gaps between scheduled background checks. Supporters noted the bill does not eliminate statutory five‑year rechecks for employees who access FTI, it supplements them with Rapback notifications.
Votes at a glance: HB 19 — motion to release to the floor; outcome: carried by roll call (unanimous in committee). Fiscal note: not specified in hearing record.
