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DEES seeks technical fixes to allow FBI multistate background checks for waste facility permit applicants
Summary
SB644 clarifies state law so the Department of Environmental Services can run FBI‑enabled multistate criminal records checks for owners/operators of solid and hazardous waste facilities. DEES said the bill removes an unnecessary DOJ middleman and specifies which DEES officials may receive results.
Representative Kevin Scully introduced SB644 on behalf of Senator Pearl; the bill is a departmental request to correct statutory language so that FBI‑supported multistate background checks can be run for applicants for certain waste facility permits. Mike Whimset, director of DEES’ Waste Management Division, told the committee the changes are technical but necessary for the FBI to accept and process forms and for DEES to receive results directly.
Whimset said the department worked with the Department of Justice and Department of Safety to craft language clarifying who must submit to checks, which DEES officials may receive results, and to remove DOJ as a routine intermediary in the process. That change, he said, will simplify and speed up background investigations while preserving confidentiality for sensitive records.
The hearing produced no substantive opposition. DEES asked the committee to pass the corrections so the state can continue its longstanding background‑check program for regulated facilities with federal database access.
