Senate committee opens hearing on bill directing DHS to study and streamline background checks

The Senate Committee on Human Services opened a public hearing on House Bill 3224 A, which would direct the Oregon Department of Human Services to review statutes and administrative rules and report back to the Legislative Assembly on opportunities to reduce duplicate background checks for occupations serving children, seniors and people with disabilities.

Representative Nancy Nathanson, sponsor of the bill, told the committee that dozens of occupations require criminal background checks and that workers often face multiple, costly screenings even to perform similar jobs in the same community. “Separate checks are required for an individual working even at the same occupation, but at a different address or in a different county,” Nathanson said.

The bill would require the department to identify similarities and differences among the various checks administered by the…