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House OKs Pilot to Speed Background Checks for Disability Service Providers
Summary
The House unanimously approved a pilot (first substitute HB106) to prioritize background checks for contracted providers serving people with disabilities, requiring 48-hour notification when checks show no hits and a departmental report back to the Legislature.
The Utah House on Feb. 23 passed first substitute House Bill 106, a pilot program directing the Office of Licensing to prioritize background checks for contracted human services providers serving people with disabilities.
Representative Selig, sponsor of the bill, told the chamber that the Office of Licensing currently processes checks on a first-come, first-served basis, which can mean long turnaround times (an average of about 10 days for in-state checks). The bill would direct the department to reorganize staff workload to prioritize new applications from contracted providers and to notify providers within 48 hours if no background-check hits are found; any applications with hits would be transferred to another worker for more detailed review. The bill requires the department to report back to the Legislature on the pilot’s results.
Representative Dougal and others described staffing delays as a major driver of overtime and turnover and urged support. The House opened and closed voting; first substitute HB106 passed 70-1 and will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
The sponsor described the measure as a process improvement to address staffing bottlenecks rather than a new ongoing cost to the state. The bill now moves to the Senate.
