AR SB296

The Director of the Department of Workforce Services shall establish a criminal background investigation policy for employees and contractors authorized to access federal tax information.

Criminal background checks must be conducted by the Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau and Federal Bureau of Investigation, including fingerprints, and must satisfy Internal Revenue Service standards for federal tax information access.

Current employees must undergo background checks at least once every 10 years and must notify their director within 24 hours of any arrest for misdemeanor or felony offenses; failure to report arrests is grounds for immediate termination.

Job applicants must pass a criminal background check before employment and grant of access to federal tax information, with continued employment conditioned on favorable results.

Background check information may only be used for employment decisions and retention matters and cannot be released to parties other than the employee or authorized representative; the act was approved March 8, 2019 and declared effective immediately.