Florida Statutes § 435.12 — Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.

435.12 Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.—1(1) The Agency for Health Care Administration in consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement shall create a secure web-based system, which shall be known as the “Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse” or “clearinghouse.” The clearinghouse must allow the results of criminal history checks provided to the specified agencies and, beginning January 1, 2026, or a later date as determined by the Agency for Health Care Administration, to qualified entities participating in the clearinghouse for screening of persons qualified as care providers under s. 943.0542 to be shared among the specified agencies and qualified entities when a person has applied to volunteer, be employed, be licensed, enter into a contract, or has an affiliation that allows or requires a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history check. Beginning January 1, 2025, or a later date as determined by the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Agency for Health Care Administration shall review and determine eligibility for all criminal history checks submitted to the clearinghouse for the Department of Education. The clearinghouse shall share eligibility determinations with the Department of Education and the qualified entities. The Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to create forms or implement procedures needed to carry out this section. 1(2)(a) To ensure that the information in the clearinghouse is current, the fingerprints of a person included in the clearinghouse must be:1. Retained by the Department of Law Enforcement pursuant to s. 943.05(2)(g) and (h) and (3), and the Department of Law Enforcement must report the results of searching those fingerprints against state incoming arrest fingerprint submissions to the Agency for Health Care Administration for inclusion in the clearinghouse. 2. Retained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the national retained print arrest notification program as soon as the Department of Law Enforcement begins participation in such program. Arrest prints will be searched against retained prints at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and notification of arrests will be forwarded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and reported to the Agency for Health Care Administration for inclusion in the clearinghouse. 3. Resubmitted for a Federal Bureau of Investigation national criminal history check every 5 years until such time as the fingerprints are retained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 4. Subject to retention on a 5-year renewal basis with fees collected at the time of initial submission or resubmission of fingerprints. 5. Submitted with a photograph of the person taken at the time the fingerprints are submitted. (b) Until such time as the fingerprints are enrolled in the national retained print arrest notification program at the Federal Bureau of Investigation:1. A person with a break in service of more than 90 days from a position that requires screening by a specified agency must submit to a national screening if the person returns to a position that requires screening by a specified agency. 2. Effective January 1, 2026, or a later date as determined by the Agency for Health Care Administration, for the participation of qualified entities in the clearinghouse under s. 435.12, a person with a break in service of more than 90 days from a position for which screening is conducted by a qualified entity participating in the clearinghouse must submit to a national screening if the person returns to a position for which screening is conducted by a qualified entity. (c) An employer of persons subject to screening or a qualified entity participating in the clearinghouse must register with the clearinghouse and maintain the employment or affiliation status of all persons included in the clearinghouse.1. Before January 1, 2024, initial status and any changes in status must be reported within 10 business days after a person receives his or her initial status or after a change in the person’s status has been made. 2. Effective January 1, 2024, initial status and any changes in status must be reported within 5 business days after a person receives his or her initial status or after a change in the person’s status has been made. (d) An employer or a qualified entity participating in the clearinghouse must register with and initiate all criminal history checks through the clearinghouse before referring an employee or potential employee or a person with a current or potential affiliation with a qualified entity for electronic fingerprint submission to the Department of Law Enforcement. The registration must include the person’s full first name, middle initial, and last name; social security number; date of birth; mailing address; sex; and race. Individuals, persons, applicants, and controlling interests that cannot legally obtain a social security number must provide an individual taxpayer identification number. (3)1(a) Employees of each district unit under s. 1001.30, special district units under s. 1011.24, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind under s. 1002.36, the Florida Virtual School under s. 1002.37, virtual instruction programs under s. 1002.45, charter schools under s. 1002.33, hope operators under s. 1002.333, private schools participating in an educational scholarship program established pursuant to chapter 1002, and alternative schools under s. 1008.341 must be rescreened in compliance with the following schedule:1. Employees for whom the last screening was conducted on or before June 30, 2021, must be rescreened by June 30, 2025. 2. Employees for whom the last screening was conducted between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, must be rescreened by June 30, 2026. 3. Employees for whom the last screening was conducted between July 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, must be rescreened by June 30, 2027. (b) A person is not required to be rescreened before January 1, 2023, solely for the purpose of retention under this section if the person was screened before participation by the specified agencies named in paragraph (a) in the clearinghouse. (c) An individual who volunteers for an entity listed in paragraph (a) may be screened at the discretion of such entity. If such entity elects to conduct a background screening, the screening may be conducted pursuant to this section or s. 943.0542. (4)(a) As part of the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, the Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation with all specified agencies as defined in s. 435.02(7), that are required by law to use the clearinghouse for employment screening, must develop and maintain a publicly available web page which provides a central source for care provider background screening education and awareness. The web page may be part of the current web-based clearinghouse system. The resources available on the web page must be written in nontechnical and accessible language, tailored to qualified entities as defined in s. 943.0542(1), and include, but need not be limited to:1. Information and education related to employment screening requirements of qualified entities, to include:a. The Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. b. Level 2 screening standards under s. 435.04. c. Live-scan fingerprinting or other third-party systems, including information on process, vendors, locations, and potential costs. 2. A searchable catalog, by specified agency, of qualified entity employment classes and positions required by law to undergo employment screening through the clearinghouse, to include:a. Disqualifying offenses. b. Exemption requirements and process. 3. A downloadable checklist detailing the process, timelines, and contact information for employment screening process support, tailored to qualified entities. (b) Each specified agency must include a clear and conspicuous link to the web page on its website and provide the link in all job vacancy advertisements and posts by the qualified entity. (c) The web page must be active by January 1, 2026, and reviewed and updated by October 1, 2026, and by October 1 each year thereafter, to incorporate any changes to law, the clearinghouse, or the employment screening process.