SB 81 Summary

• Expands criminal history check requirements for Department of Health and Social Services licensing to include public home care providers, home and community-based waiver service providers, case managers for community mental health services, and other licensed or certified entities receiving state payments.

• Establishes new civil history database and civil history check procedures under AS 47.05.325 to identify individuals with substantiated findings of child abuse or neglect, vulnerable adult abuse, prior licensing violations, or similar disqualifying conduct in other jurisdictions.

• Requires entities to obtain release of information authorizations and conduct criminal and civil history checks on owners, operators, employees, contractors, unsupervised volunteers, and others with regular contact with service recipients, with exceptions for family members and visitors.

• Creates a variance committee process allowing individuals and entities to request exceptions from background check requirements, with appeal rights to the commissioner and superior court.

• Provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for persons reporting fraud, abuse, or neglect, submitting information to civil history databases, or declining to hire individuals included in such databases.

• Takes effect immediately upon enactment.