(a)  The Legislature recognizes the need to generate timely and accurate positive fingerprint identification of applicants as a condition of issuing licenses, permits, or certificates of approval for persons to operate or provide direct care services in a community care facility, or a residential care facility, child day care facility, or foster family agency, licensed by the department pursuant to this chapter, Chapter 3.01 (commencing with Section 1568.01), Chapter 3.2 (commencing with Section 1569), Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 1596.70), Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 1596.90), or Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 1597.30), or certified family home. Therefore, the Legislature supports the use of the fingerprint live-scan technology, as identified in the long-range plan of the Department of Justice, for fully automating the processing of fingerprints and other data by the year 1999, otherwise known as the California Crime Information Intelligence System (CAL-CII) to be used for applicant fingerprints. Therefore, when live-scan technology is operational, individuals shall be required to obtain either a criminal record clearance from the Department of Justice or a criminal record exemption from the State Department of Social Services, before their initial presence in a community care facility. The regulations shall also cover the submission of fingerprint information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(b)  Upon implementation of an electronic fingerprinting system with terminals located statewide and managed by the Department of Justice, the Department of Justice shall ascertain the criminal history information required pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1522.04. If the Department of Justice cannot ascertain the information required pursuant to that subdivision within three working days, the Department of Justice shall notify the State Department of Social Services, or county licensing agencies, either by telephone and by subsequent confirmation in writing by first-class mail, or by electronic or facsimile transmission. At its discretion, the Department of Justice may forward one copy of the fingerprint cards to any other bureau of investigation it may deem necessary in order to verify any record of previous arrests or convictions of the fingerprinted individual.

(c)  For purposes of this section, live-scan technology is operational when the Department of Justice and the district offices of the Community Care Licensing Division of the department live-scan sites are operational and the department is receiving 95 percent of its total responses indicating either no evidence of recorded criminal information or evidence of recorded criminal information from the Department of Justice within three business days.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 819, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2001.)