Bill would require fingerprint checks for Labor employees who access federal tax information

The Committee on Judiciary heard Senate Bill 30 on a bill brief and proponent testimony, including from the Revisor’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, on requirements for fingerprint-based background checks of state employees who access federal tax information.

Jason Thompson of the Revisor’s Office told the committee that "this is the bill that requires the secretary of labor to conduct a state and national criminal history record check on employees who have access to federal tax information that's received directly from the Internal Revenue Service." He said the bill amends KSA 22-4714 and KSA 75-5702 to require fingerprinting and the state and national checks, and that the measure would take effect July 1 if adopted.

Bob Stewart, executive officer at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, testified in support and described a broader effort to standardize statutes that authorize fingerprint checks. Stewart said the state has many different statutes on background checks and that the KBI "is 100% behind Senate Bill 30." He told the committee that Kansas has multiple statutes covering criminal-history checks and that prior legislation was needed to make the FBI’s interstate and federal records accessible to agencies. Stewart said the KBI may seek later amendments to fix similar language in statutes that authorize other agencies to do background checks, including language from the attorney general’s office and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner.

Amber Schultz, secretary of the Kansas Department of Labor, offered proponent testimony and told the committee the department had submitted written testimony. "We've provided you with written proponent testimony," she said, and stood for questions.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the scope of proposed amendments and about whether additional agencies’ statutes remain to be corrected. Thompson confirmed the bill’s changes are limited to employees who have been granted access to federal tax information and that the bill adds a new subsection to KSA 75-5702 requiring fingerprinting and the checks for those employees. Witnesses and members emphasized that this bill is one of several technical fixes to multiple statutes.

No opponents or neutral witnesses appeared and no committee action was taken on the bill at the hearing. The Revisor noted the bill had passed the Senate by a 42-vote margin before arriving at the committee.

Implementation details, including the effective date of July 1 and the specific statutory sections amended, were discussed at the hearing; proponents said additional technical fixes to other agencies’ statutes may be necessary and could be offered as amendments in the future.