SB 779 Summary

• Requires applicants for real property appraiser registration, licensing, or certification to consent to state criminal background checks by the Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau and national fingerprint-based checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

• Establishes that minimum qualification requirements for appraisers shall include a determination that the applicant's background does not call into question public trust or fitness for registration, licensure, or certification.

• Allows the Arkansas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board to establish a criminal background check fee that is excluded from the $300 annual fee cap for resident registrants.

• Lists specific factors for denying an appraiser credential, including convictions within 5 years for crimes involving moral turpitude, theft, fraud, narcotics trafficking, violence, sexual crimes, or tax evasion; prior credential revocation; false statements on applications; or cheating on exams.

• Takes effect January 1, 2017.