Ensuring that records disseminated by business screening services are accurate is the goal of a new law.
Such services are private entities that collect, assemble, evaluate or disseminate criminal records on individuals for a fee.
Sponsored by Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) and Sen. Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley), the law clarifies that a business screening service can only share “a criminal record that reflects the complete and accurate record provided by the source of the data.” The record has to have been updated within 30 days of receipt of information or has to have been verified as current by the data source within the previous 90 days. When disseminating a criminal record, the service must include the date the record was collected by the service.
The law also spells out that in an investigation as to the completeness of the record, a service must determine whether the record accurately reflects the content of the official government record: “If the disputed record is found to be sealed, expunged, or the subject of a pardon, the business screening service shall promptly delete the record.”
Signed April 15 by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the law takes effect July 1, 2010.
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