Okla. Stat. tit. 59 § 567.18

Current through Laws 2024, c. 453.

Section 567.18 - [Effective 11/1/2024] Criminal history records and background checks

A. Any applicant for a license or certificate described below shall be required to undergo a national criminal history background check as described in this section.

1. Registered Nurse (RN) license,

2. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license,

3. Practical Nurse License (LPN),

4. Advanced Unlicensed Assistant Certificate,

5. Multistate nursing license, when Oklahoma is the Primary State of Residence.

B. Licensing and certification decisions shall be based on, in addition to other licensure requirements, a criminal history records search conducted by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that is not more than ninety (90) days old.

C. Contingent upon available resources by the Board, all criminal background checks effective January 1, 2013, are subject to the following:

1. Submission of a full set of fingerprints to the Board for the purpose of permitting a state and federal criminal history records search pursuant to Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes and Public Law 92-544 that is not more than ninety (90) days old. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation may exchange these fingerprints with the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

2. The applicant shall furnish the Board fingerprints as established by Board rules and a money order or cashier's check made payable to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation or the Board's designated vendor;

3. The Board shall forward the fingerprints along with the applicable fee for a national fingerprint criminal history records search to the Bureau;

4. The Bureau shall search the Oklahoma Automated Fingerprint Identification System and forward fingerprints to the FBI for a national criminal history records search;

5. Any and all state and federal criminal history record information obtained by the Board from the Bureau or the FBI which is not already a matter of public record shall be deemed nonpublic. The confidential information shall be restricted to the exclusive use of the Board, its members, officers, investigators, agents, and attorneys in evaluating the applicant's eligibility or disqualification for licensure; and

6. Fingerprint images may be rejected by the OSBI and the FBI for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, fingerprint quality or an inability by the OSBI or FBI to classify the fingerprints. These rejections require the applicant to be fingerprinted again. Applicants with fingerprints rejected for improper registration will be required to re-register, re-pay and be re-fingerprinted. Applicant is responsible for insuring and verifying that all data is correct in the fingerprinting process.

D. The necessary steps to initiate the criminal background checks may be performed by the Board or its designated vendor.

E. An individual applying for any type of multistate license, when Oklahoma is the primary state of residence, shall submit to a criminal background check that complies with this section; provided, however, that if the individual has been continuously enrolled in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Rap Back Service since issuance of the initial multistate license, the individual shall not be required to undergo another criminal history record search. No criminal history record information will be disseminated outside the Board, as described in paragraph 5 of this subsection.

Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 567.18

Amended by Laws 2024, c. 94,s. 3, eff. 11/1/2024.

Amended by Laws 2018 , c. 72, s. 2, eff. 11/1/2018.

Amended by Laws 2013 , c. 228, s. 4, eff. 11/1/2013.

Added by Laws 2011 , HB 1275, c. 101, §11, eff. 11/1/2011.

This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.