                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS REQUIRED (§ 63.2-325.1)

A. The local board shall require all employees, contractors, or final candidates
for employment within the local department who meet the requirements of this
subsection to submit to fingerprinting and to provide personal descriptive
information to be forwarded along with the individual&#8217;s fingerprints to
the Central Criminal Records Exchange and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information regarding such
individual. The local department shall conduct a criminal background check for
any individual:

   1. Who is responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of citizens;

   2. With access to sensitive or confidential information, including access to
   federal tax information, in approved exchange agreements with the Internal
   Revenue Service or Social Security Administration; or

   3. Who is otherwise required by state or federal law or local ordinance to be
   subject to criminal background checks.
   				The Central Criminal Records Exchange, upon receipt of an
   individual&#8217;s record or notification that no record exists for that
   individual, shall make a report to the local board or local director.

B. Individuals subject to a background check pursuant to subsection A shall also
be subject to a search of the Central Registry or other child abuse and neglect
database maintained by another jurisdiction. The Central Registry or other child
abuse and neglect database shall report the results of such search to:

   1. The local board or its designee if the search request concerns a local
   director or an applicant for local director; or

   2. The local director if the search request concerns any other employment
   position at the local department.

C. No local department shall hire for compensated employment or continue to
employ any person who has been convicted of any criminal offense that relates to
an employment position under a policy that includes the following determining
criteria: (i) the nature and seriousness of the crime; (ii) the relationship of
the crime to the work to be performed in the position applied for; (iii) the
extent to which the position applied for might offer an opportunity to engage in
further criminal activity of the same type as that in which the person has been
involved; (iv) the relationship of the crime to the ability, capacity, or
fitness required to perform the duties and discharge the responsibilities of the
position being sought; (v) the extent and nature of the person&#8217;s past
criminal activity; (vi) the age of the person at the time of the commission of
the crime; (vii) the amount of time that has elapsed since the person&#8217;s
last involvement in the commission of a crime; (viii) the conduct and work
activity of the person prior to and following the criminal activity; and (ix)
evidence of the person&#8217;s rehabilitation or rehabilitative effort while
incarcerated or following release.

D. If a candidate for employment is denied employment because of information
from the Central Criminal Records Exchange, Central Registry, or other child
abuse and neglect database, the local department shall notify the candidate for
employment that such information contributed to the denial of suitability for
employment. If an employee or contractor is determined no longer suitable for a
position, employment, or assignment because of information from the Central
Criminal Records Exchange, Central Registry, or other child abuse and neglect
database, the local department shall notify the employee or contractor that such
information contributed to the suitability determination.

E. At the Commissioner&#8217;s request, the local department shall provide any
background check information obtained pursuant to this section to the
Commissioner. Further dissemination of such information is prohibited by anyone
other than the Commissioner or a federal or state authority or court as may be
required to comply with an express requirement of law for such further
dissemination.

HISTORY: 2024, c. 555.