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Kansas behavioral-licensing board signals support for federal background checks on new and reinstated licenses
Summary
The Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board told staff to pursue requirements for federal fingerprint-based background checks on initial applications and reinstatements, citing multistate-compact rules and an expected KBI cost of about $57; staff will meet KBI and return with implementation details.
The Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board on July 28 signaled support for requiring federal fingerprint-based background checks for most new licensure applications and for reinstatements, a change the agency said would align with multistate compacts and common practice among health-related licensing boards.
Executive Director David Fye told the board the statute giving the board authority to require checks was enacted in 2016 and that recent multistate compacts (professional counseling, social work, psychology) include background-check expectations for privilege or licensure. He said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s current charge for fingerprinting is about $57 and that the BSRB would request the federal-level report through KBI. "We would be able to check to see if there were any issues," Fye said, adding staff would follow up with KBI on logistics and any regulation or process changes needed to implement the requirement.
Board members discussed practical questions, including access for applicants in rural areas, whether a one-time check on initial licensure would be sufficient, and how to handle temporary or out‑of‑state permits. Fye proposed a one‑time requirement on initial application and on reinstatement, with wrap‑back monitoring (a low-cost continuous-monitoring option some states use) as a supplemental tool. He said some compacts require a background check as a precondition to obtaining a privilege and that Kansas currently appears to be an outlier for not making checks standard.
Members asked whether applicants’ privately obtained FBI checks could be reused; staff said board-requested checks are generally required for licensing purposes and applicant-supplied reports are not always transferable. Several members expressed support for moving forward and asked staff to return with options, including whether a regulation is required, estimated timelines, and how fingerprinting would be performed for applicants in areas without local KBI services.
Next steps: staff will meet with the KBI to define operational details and will report back at the next meeting or call a special meeting if a faster action is needed before the professional‑counseling compact goes live.
