NM
New Mexico Senate Bill SB222

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico Senate Bill SB222 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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2828 SENATE BILL 222
2929 57
3030 TH LEGISLATURE
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4242 FIRST SESSION
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4545 2025
4646 INTRODUCED BY
4747 Antoinette Sedillo Lopez
4848 AN ACT
4949 RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY; SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR
5050 OVERSEEING CAREGIVER BACKGROUND CHECKS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
5151 HEALTH TO THE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY; ADDING TO THE LIST OF
5252 DISQUALIFYING CONVICTIONS FOR CAREGIVERS; ALLOWING THE HEALTH
5353 CARE AUTHORITY TO PROMULGATE RULES TO ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL
5454 DISQUALIFYING CONVICTIONS FOR CAREGIVERS; PROVIDING FOR
5555 TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS, RECORDS AND EQUIPMENT.
5656 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
5757 SECTION 1. Section 29-17-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1998,
5858 Chapter 68, Section 4, as amended) is amended to read:
5959 "29-17-5. CRIMINAL HISTORY SCREENING REQUIRED--
6060 REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION--APPEALS.--
6161 A. The [department of ] health care authority is
6262 authorized to receive an applicant's, caregiver's or hospital
6363 .230223.1SA underscored material = new
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9090 caregiver's nationwide criminal history record obtained by the
9191 department of public safety as a result of a nationwide
9292 criminal history screening pursuant to an applicant's,
9393 caregiver's or hospital caregiver's authorization for such
9494 nationwide criminal history screening. Providers shall submit
9595 a set of fingerprints of applicants, caregivers and hospital
9696 caregivers to the [department of ] health care authority for a
9797 nationwide criminal history screening, and the department of
9898 public safety shall accept from the [department of ] health care
9999 authority such fingerprints for the purpose of conducting a
100100 nationwide criminal history screening.
101101 B. The [department of ] health care authority is
102102 authorized to promulgate rules to implement the Caregivers
103103 Criminal History Screening Act, including rules establishing [a
104104 three-year phased implementation based upon provider type ]
105105 fingerprint submission procedures; fees; confidentiality; time
106106 frames for an applicant's or caregiver's nationwide criminal
107107 history screening; procedures for clarifying incomplete or
108108 confusing criminal history information; provider sanctions for
109109 noncompliance; disqualifying convictions ; and employment
110110 procedures pending the results of the nationwide criminal
111111 history screening relating to applicants and caregivers.
112112 C. No caregiver or hospital caregiver may be
113113 employed by a care provider unless the caregiver or hospital
114114 caregiver first has submitted to a request for a nationwide
115115 .230223.1SA
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143143 criminal history screening prior to beginning employment in
144144 accordance with procedures established by rule by the
145145 [departments of] health care authority and department of public
146146 safety. A caregiver or hospital caregiver shall apply for
147147 statewide criminal history screening when applying for
148148 employment with a care provider within twelve months of the
149149 caregiver's or hospital caregiver's most recent nationwide
150150 criminal history screening.
151151 D. The following felony convictions disqualify an
152152 applicant, caregiver or hospital caregiver from employment as a
153153 caregiver:
154154 (1) homicide;
155155 (2) trafficking controlled substances;
156156 (3) kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated
157157 assault or aggravated battery, including battery of a household
158158 member;
159159 (4) rape, criminal sexual penetration,
160160 criminal sexual contact, incest, indecent exposure or other
161161 related sexual offenses;
162162 (5) crimes involving adult abuse, neglect or
163163 financial exploitation;
164164 (6) crimes involving child abuse or neglect;
165165 (7) robbery, larceny, burglary, fraud,
166166 extortion, forgery, embezzlement, credit card fraud or
167167 receiving stolen property; [or ]
168168 .230223.1SA
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196196 (8) an attempt, solicitation or conspiracy
197197 involving any of the felonies in this subsection;
198198 (9) sex trafficking;
199199 (10) assault of a peace officer;
200200 (11) identity theft; or
201201 (12) cruelty to animals.
202202 E. The health care authority may promulgate rules
203203 to add additional types of convictions to the list of
204204 convictions that disqualify an applicant, caregiver or hospital
205205 caregiver from employment as a caregiver.
206206 [E.] F. Upon receipt by the [department of ] health
207207 care authority of the results of the applicant's, caregiver's
208208 or hospital caregiver's nationwide criminal history screening,
209209 the [department of health ] authority shall give notice to the
210210 submitting care provider whether the applicant or caregiver has
211211 a disqualifying conviction of a crime specified in Subsection D
212212 of this section or as determined by the authority pursuant to
213213 Subsection E of this section . No other results of the
214214 applicant's, caregiver's or hospital caregiver's nationwide
215215 criminal history screening shall be provided to the care
216216 provider. Except as provided in Subsection [F ] G of this
217217 section, a care provider shall not employ an applicant or
218218 continue to employ a caregiver or hospital caregiver whose
219219 nationwide criminal history screening record reflects a
220220 disqualifying conviction. When the [department of ] health care
221221 .230223.1SA
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249249 authority provides notice to the care provider of a
250250 disqualifying conviction of a crime specified in Subsection D
251251 of this section or as determined by the authority pursuant to
252252 Subsection E of this section , it shall also notify the
253253 applicant, caregiver or hospital caregiver, stating with
254254 specificity the convictions on which its decision is based and
255255 identifying the agency that provided the records.
256256 [F.] G. An applicant, caregiver or hospital
257257 caregiver whose nationwide criminal history record, obtained
258258 through the applicant's, caregiver's or hospital caregiver's
259259 nationwide criminal history screening and other clarifying
260260 endeavors of the [department of ] health care authority ,
261261 reflects a disqualifying conviction of a crime specified in
262262 Subsection D of this section or as determined by the authority
263263 pursuant to Subsection E of this section , may request from the
264264 [department of health ] authority an administrative
265265 reconsideration. The care provider may, in its discretion,
266266 continue to employ such person during the pendency of the
267267 reconsideration. A care provider may employ the applicant or
268268 caregiver if the reconsideration proceeding results in a
269269 determination by the [department of health ] authority that the
270270 applicant's, caregiver's or hospital caregiver's nationwide
271271 criminal history record inaccurately reflects a disqualifying
272272 conviction of a crime specified in Subsection D of this section
273273 or as determined by the authority pursuant to Subsection E of
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302302 this section or that the employment presents no risk of harm to
303303 a care recipient or that the conviction does not directly bear
304304 upon the applicant's, caregiver's or hospital caregiver's
305305 fitness for the employment.
306306 [G.] H. The [department of] health care authority
307307 is authorized to adopt rules for the administrative
308308 reconsideration proceeding available to an applicant or
309309 caregiver whose nationwide criminal history record reflects a
310310 disqualifying conviction. The rules shall take into account
311311 the requirements of the Criminal Offender Employment Act.
312312 [H.] I. A care provider shall maintain records
313313 evidencing compliance with the requirements of this section
314314 with respect to all applicants and caregivers employed on or
315315 after May 20, 1998.
316316 [I.] J. All criminal history records obtained
317317 pursuant to this section by the [department of ] health care
318318 authority are confidential. No criminal history records
319319 obtained pursuant to this section shall be used for any purpose
320320 other than determining whether an applicant, caregiver or
321321 hospital caregiver has a criminal conviction that would
322322 disqualify the applicant, caregiver or hospital caregiver from
323323 employment as a caregiver or hospital caregiver. Except on
324324 court order or with the written consent of the applicant,
325325 caregiver or hospital caregiver, criminal records obtained
326326 pursuant to this section and the information contained therein
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355355 shall not be released or otherwise disclosed to any other
356356 person or agency. A person who discloses confidential records
357357 or information in violation of this section is guilty of a
358358 misdemeanor and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions
359359 of Subsection A of Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978.
360360 [J.] K. The [department of] health care authority
361361 shall maintain a registry of all applicants who are
362362 disqualified from employment or contractual service as
363363 caregivers or hospital caregivers. An applicant's arrest
364364 record information shall not be released except upon request of
365365 the applicant as provided in the Arrest Record Information Act.
366366 [K.] L. A care provider, including its
367367 administrators and employees, is not civilly liable to an
368368 applicant or a caregiver for a good faith decision to employ,
369369 not employ or terminate employment pursuant to the Caregivers
370370 Criminal History Screening Act.
371371 [L.] M. Failure to comply with the requirements of
372372 this section are grounds for the state agency having
373373 enforcement authority with respect to the care provider to
374374 impose appropriate administrative sanctions and penalties."
375375 SECTION 2. TEMPORARY PROVISION--TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.--
376376 On the effective date of this act, all functions, records and
377377 equipment related to the oversight of caregiver criminal
378378 history records shall be transferred from the department of
379379 health to the health care authority.
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