ColoradoSB25-1462025 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Record Checks

Sponsored By: Anthony Hartsook (Republican), Dafna Michaelson Jenet (Democratic), Janice Rich (Republican), Meghan Lukens (Democratic)

Signed by Governor

Business & Economic DevelopmentCrimes, Corrections, & EnforcementHealth Care & Health InsuranceProfessions & Occupations

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

8 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 6 costs, 1 mixed.

Temporary caregivers gain background-check privacy protections

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation must send temporary-caregiver applicants' fingerprint-check records only to the state department. The records must follow federal criminal-history security rules. Facilities and agencies can receive only an eligible, ineligible, or inconclusive result. Applicants with an inconclusive result must contact the department for more information.

More professionals face paid fingerprint checks

Colorado regulators can require covered professional license, certification, and registration applicants to submit fingerprints and pay check costs. Covered professions include audiologists, certified midwives, dental hygienists, dentists, licensed professional counselors, physician assistants, social workers, and speech-language pathologists. They also include cremationists, embalmers, funeral directors, mortuary science practitioners, natural reductionists, occupational therapists, and occupational therapy assistants. An arrest with no recorded outcome requires a name-based check using State Judicial Department records. Regulators can use the results in licensing decisions.

Assisted-living owners face fingerprint submission deadlines

Assisted-living owners, applicants, and licensees must submit fingerprints with a license application or within 10 days after ownership or licensee changes. Prints go through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to the FBI, with results sent to the department. The owner definition covers people with at least a 50% financial or equity interest and also includes the licensee. The department can also require administrators to submit fingerprints. An applicant's arrest with no recorded outcome requires a name-based check using State Judicial Department records.

Home-care leaders must pay for fingerprint checks

Covered home-care and home-care placement agency owners, managers, and administrators must submit fingerprints with license or registration applications. Fingerprints are also due within 10 days after a change in owner, manager, or administrator. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation forwards prints to the FBI, and each covered person pays the bureau's fee. An arrest with no recorded outcome requires a name-based check using State Judicial Department records.

Covered massage businesses require paid fingerprint checks

People covered by Colorado's illicit-massage-business licensing rules must complete fingerprint-based criminal-history checks. This includes applicants, licensees, owners, prospective owners, employees, and prospective employees covered by those rules. The applicant, owner, or worker pays the associated costs. Local law enforcement or an approved third party collects fingerprints for covered existing applicants, owners, and workers.

Youth host-home programs must keep screening records

Organizations running youth host-home programs must keep accurate, current records of state background-check decisions. Records must show whether the operator and every other household resident age 18 or older meet host-home criteria. These decisions come from the Colorado Department of Human Services after fingerprint-based criminal-history checks. The duty includes child placement agencies, county or district human services offices, and homeless youth shelters operating these programs.

Emergency medical licensing requires arrest follow-up checks

For emergency medical licensing, an arrest with no recorded outcome on a fingerprint check requires a name-based court-record check. This applies to covered certificate or license applicants, ambulance personnel, and owners, managers, or administrators. Name-based checks must use State Judicial Department records. An ambulance operator is the person designated to run day-to-day operations. An ambulance owner includes someone with at least a 50% financial or equity ownership interest.

Government fingerprint checks gain statewide safeguards

Colorado government offices requiring fingerprint checks must route prints through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to the FBI. Local law enforcement or approved vendors collect prints, and participants must follow federal criminal-history security rules. Approved vendors can collect prints electronically but cannot keep applicant data longer than 30 days. The person or government office pays as the applicable law or rule directs. An arrest with no recorded outcome requires a name-based check using State Judicial Department records.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Cosponsors

Chad Clifford
Democratic • House
Monica Duran
Democratic • House
Mandy Lindsay
Democratic • House
Rep. S. Bird
Affiliation unavailable
Larry Liston
Republican • Senate
Matt Ball
Democratic • Senate
Marc Catlin
Republican • Senate
Tom Sullivan
Democratic • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 204 • No: 4

Senate vote • 4/16/2025

House amendments: Repass

Yes: 32 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/16/2025

House amendments: Concur

Yes: 32 • No: 0

House vote • 4/15/2025

Third reading: Bill

Yes: 59 • No: 3

House vote • 4/3/2025

Refer Senate Bill 25-146, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.

Yes: 13 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/3/2025

Third reading: Bill

Yes: 34 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/28/2025

Committee of the whole: Adopt report

Yes: 29 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/25/2025