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 Background Check Unit at the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), study options to consolidate or reduce redundant checks, and propose methods to avoid a person undergoing an additional background check within 12 months if they recently passed one. Nathanson said the Background Check Unit currently handles more than 100 different background checks and processes.

Supporters who testified included nonprofit providers, long-term care representatives, school officials and labor unions. Anna Day, executive director of Oregon Community Programs, said the bill aims to preserve safety while cutting needless delays: “Reducing the wait times, reducing the administrative burdens, and reducing the unnecessary delays helps us keep kids safe and do it quickly when kids need the care that they need.” Meredith Koba of the Oregon Health Care Association told senators that delays drive potential caregivers away: “The delays in background checks cause applicants to reconsider waiting 30 to 60 days for a job in caregiving, and the recheck delays are incredibly problematic.”

Stacey Michaelson, representing the Oregon School Boards Association, said K–12 standards sometimes differ from other child-serving systems and that better alignment could help school-community partnerships. Rachel Hansen, a policy strategist with SEIU Local 503, said the bill lays groundwork for reforms such as a universal provider number and a wrap-back system to improve portability of credentials.

The bill does not change statutes on its own; it directs ODHS to report findings and recommendations to the Legislative Assembly. Nathanson told the committee that the bill previously passed out of a House committee unanimously and passed the full House unanimously. The committee did not take a vote at the hearing; senators heard testimony and then proceeded to an informational panel with front-line providers.

The 2012 legislative-directed work group previously recommended aligning background checks across logical clusters of work; proponents said HB 3224 A is intended to follow up on that earlier work by focusing first on occupations administered by the DHS Background Check Unit.

No formal committee action or vote was recorded during the hearing. If advanced, the bill would require ODHS to submit reports to the Legislative Assembly describing findings and options; the hearing record did not specify the report deadlines or implementation details.

Supporters listed in testimony included Oregon Community Programs, the Oregon Health Care Association, the Oregon Alliance of Children's Programs, SEIU Local 503 and the Oregon School Boards Association.