Care organizations can request nationwide criminal checks with signed consent

Illinois State Police must run state and national criminal record checks when a covered care organization submits the required materials. Covered organizations provide care, arrange care placements, or license care providers for children, older adults, or people with disabilities. Checks cover current or prospective workers, license holders, volunteers, and care contractors. Requests must include identifying information, signed consent, electronic fingerprints, and any required fee. The State Police fee cannot exceed the check's actual cost. Records shared after confirming identity cover felonies or crimes directly related to providing care. State Police need not decide whether the person is suitable. These checks do not satisfy other background checks required by law. This process took effect when the law was approved on July 31, 2026.

Illinois State Police must protect reported criminal information and notify people screened through care organizations of their rights to obtain and challenge records. Confidentiality covers information reported to Illinois State Police under the Criminal Identification Act. Record-review rights cover people screened through the care-organization process. Reported information may be released only when state or federal law expressly allows it. State Police must supply copies on request and send corrected Illinois records to the person and organization when a challenge establishes an error. Care organizations must keep check results confidential and use them only for internal screening. They cannot share FBI information beyond authorized recipients. This process does not broaden access to juvenile records or records sealed or erased by a court. These provisions took effect on July 31, 2026.

The Department of Early Childhood will take responsibility for fingerprint-based criminal record checks of day care providers. The fingerprint-check transfer covers providers at day care centers, part-day child care facilities, day care homes, and group day care homes. The Department of Children and Family Services oversees permission for probationary hiring through June 30, 2027. The Department of Early Childhood takes that role on and after July 1, 2027. The fingerprint-check transfer begins July 1, 2027.