Criminal history record checks for certain public jobs

(a) The State or any of its branches, political subdivisions, or agencies shall develop standards and procedures to ensure the reputable and responsible character of applicants and employees, which shall include criminal history record checks in accordance with section 846-2.7. (b) The State or any of its branches, political subdivisions, or agencies shall obtain criminal history information through the Hawaii criminal justice data center on an applicant for a position that has the same type of contact with children, dependent adults, or persons committed to a correctional facility as other public employees who hold positions that are authorized by law to require criminal history record checks as a condition of employment; provided that: (1) The information obtained shall be used exclusively for the purpose of determining whether a person is suitable for working in close proximity with children, dependent adults, or persons committed to a correctional facility; (2) The use of the information shall be subject to those federal laws and regulations as may be now or hereafter adopted; and (3) The Hawaii criminal justice data center may assess applicants a reasonable fee for each criminal history record check conducted. (c) The State or any of its branches, political subdivisions, or agencies may deny employment on the basis of criminal conviction in accordance with applicable laws and regulations as follows: (1) For positions with contact with children or dependent adults, if it finds that the applicant has been convicted of a crime and that by reason of the nature and circumstances of the crime, the applicant poses a risk to the health, safety, or well-being of children or dependent adults; and (2) For positions with contact with persons committed to a correctional facility, if it finds that the applicant has been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation involving a fine of $50 or less and because of the nature of the conviction, the applicant poses a risk to the health, safety, security, or well-being of persons committed to a correctional facility, the correctional facility's staff, or the public at large. Nothing in this subsection prohibits the State or any of its branches, political subdivisions, or agencies from denying employment for other reasons as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. (d) For purposes of implementing this section: (1) For employees holding positions with contact with children or dependent adults on May 28, 2003, no employee who has been continuously employed on a salaried basis prior to July 1, 1990, shall be subject to a criminal history record check for the position held on May 28, 2003; (2) For employees holding positions with contact with persons committed to a correctional facility on May 28, 2003, no employee shall be terminated based on convictions in the criminal history record check except those convictions occurring after July 1, 1990, or under circumstances in which the employee is a fugitive from justice; and (3) Nothing in this section shall abrogate an employee's rights under collective bargaining to appeal a termination of employment. (e) As used in this section: "Applicant" means a person who is applying for a position whose duties, location, work site, or assignments place that person in the same type of contact with children, dependent adults, or persons committed to a correctional facility as other public employees who hold positions that are authorized by law to require a criminal history record check as a condition of employment. "Employee" means a person holding a position whose duties, location, work site, or assignments place that person in the same type of contact with children, dependent adults, or persons committed to a correctional facility as other public employees who hold positions that are authorized by law to require a criminal history record check as a condition of employment. "Public employees who hold positions that are authorized by law" means a public employee whose position requires a criminal history record check as a condition of employment and the authorization for the criminal history record check is not provided by this section.