Hemp producer applicants would undergo criminal record checks

The proposal would require hemp producer license applicants to submit fingerprints for state and national criminal history checks. This applies to people seeking an initial or renewed license to produce hemp. Applicants would pay the fingerprinting and record check costs. A person with a felony conviction for a Kansas drug crime, or a substantially similar offense elsewhere, within the prior 10 years would be disqualified from an initial or continuing license. The 10-year period is measured immediately before the license decision.

The proposal would direct the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to release specified criminal history information to named state agencies for certain screenings. Named recipients include the attorney general, state gaming agency, and state bank commissioner, for specified applicants, candidates, employees, or licensees. The records available vary by agency and purpose; for example, the hemp producer check covers adult convictions, while checks for some gaming jobs or licenses include specified adult and juvenile records. The releases relate to the applications, jobs, or licenses identified for each agency.

The proposal would allow the state bank commissioner to require fingerprints and state and national criminal history checks for certain people connected to regulated businesses. Covered people include certain controllers, applicants seeking control, and key individuals connected to money transmission licenses, and officers, owners, and directors of earned wage access applicants or registrants. The commissioner could use the information to verify identity and assess qualifications and fitness for a license or registration. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation would release the record categories listed for the relevant application or registration; unauthorized use is a misdemeanor.