Article 5.

Miscellaneous Provisions.

§ 131D-40.  Criminal history record checks required for certain applicants for employment.

(a) Requirement; Adult Care Home. - An offer of employment by an adult care home licensed under this Chapter to an applicant to fill a position that does not require the applicant to have an occupational license is conditioned on consent to a criminal history record check of the applicant. If the applicant has been a resident of this State for less than five years, then the offer of employment is conditioned on consent to a State and national criminal history record check of the applicant. The national criminal history record check shall include a check of the applicant's fingerprints. If the applicant has been a resident of this State for five years or more, then the offer is conditioned on consent to a State criminal history record check of the applicant. An adult care home shall not employ an applicant who refuses to consent to a criminal history record check required by this section. Within five business days of making the conditional offer of employment, an adult care home shall submit a request to the State Bureau of Investigation under G.S. 143B-1209.20 to conduct a State or national criminal history record check required by this section, or shall submit a request to a private entity to conduct a State criminal history record check required by this section. Notwithstanding G.S. 143B-1209.20, the State Bureau of Investigation shall return the results of national criminal history record checks for employment positions not covered by Public Law 105-277 to the Department of Health and Human Services, Criminal Records Check Unit. Within five business days of receipt of the national criminal history of the person, the Department of Health and Human Services, Criminal Records Check Unit, shall notify the adult care home as to whether the information received may affect the employability of the applicant. In no case shall the results of the national criminal history record check be shared with the adult care home. Adult care homes shall make available upon request verification that a criminal history check has been completed on any staff covered by this section. All criminal history information received by the home is confidential and may not be disclosed, except to the applicant as provided in subsection (b) of this section.

(a1) Requirement; Contract Agency of Adult Care Home. - An offer of employment by a contract agency of an adult care home licensed under this Chapter to an applicant to fill a position that does not require the applicant to have an occupational license is conditioned upon consent to a criminal history record check of the applicant. If the applicant has been a resident of this State for less than five years, then the offer of employment is conditioned on consent to a State and national criminal history record check of the applicant. The national criminal history record check shall include a check of the applicant's fingerprints. If the applicant has been a resident of this State for five years or more, then the offer is conditioned on consent to a State criminal history record check of the applicant. A contract agency of an adult care home shall not employ an applicant who refuses to consent to a criminal history record check required by this section. Within five business days of making the conditional offer of employment, a contract agency of an adult care home shall submit a request to the State Bureau of Investigation under G.S. 143B-1209.20 to conduct a State or national criminal history record check required by this section, or shall submit a request to a private entity to conduct a State criminal history record check required by this section. Notwithstanding G.S. 143B-1209.20, the State Bureau of Investigation shall return the results of national criminal history record checks for employment positions not covered by Public Law 105-277 to the Department of Health and Human Services, Criminal Records Check Unit. Within five business days of receipt of the national criminal history of the person, the Department of Health and Human Services, Criminal Records Check Unit, shall notify the contract agency of the adult care home as to whether the information received may affect the employability of the applicant. In no case shall the results of the national criminal history record check be shared with the contract agency of the adult care home. Contract agencies of adult care homes shall make available upon request verification that a criminal history check has been completed on any staff covered by this section. All criminal history information received by the contract agency is confidential and may not be disclosed, except to the applicant as provided by subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Action. - If an applicant's criminal history record check reveals one or more convictions of a relevant offense, the adult care home or a contract agency of the adult care home shall consider all of the following factors in determining whether to hire the applicant:

(1) The level and seriousness of the crime.

(2) The date of the crime.

(3) The age of the person at the time of the conviction.

(4) The circumstances surrounding the commission of the crime, if known.

(5) The nexus between the criminal conduct of the person and the job duties of the position to be filled.

(6) The prison, jail, probation, parole, rehabilitation, and employment records of the person since the date the crime was committed.

(7) The subsequent commission by the person of a relevant offense.

The fact of conviction of a relevant offense alone shall not be a bar to employment; however, the listed factors shall be considered by the adult care home or the contract agency of the adult care home. If the adult care home or a contract agency of the adult care home disqualifies an applicant after consideration of the relevant factors, then the adult care home or the contract agency may disclose information contained in the criminal history record check that is relevant to the disqualification, but may not provide a copy of the criminal history record check to the applicant.

(c) Limited Immunity. - An adult care home and an officer or employee of an adult care home that, in good faith, complies with this section is not liable for the failure of the home to employ an individual on the basis of information provided in the criminal history record check of the individual.

(d) Relevant Offense. - As used in this section, "relevant offense" means a county, state, or federal criminal history of conviction or pending indictment of a crime, whether a misdemeanor or felony, that bears upon an individual's fitness to have responsibility for the safety and well-being of aged or disabled persons. These crimes include the criminal offenses set forth in any of the following Articles of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes: Article 5, Counterfeiting and Issuing Monetary Substitutes; Article 5A, Endangering Executive and Legislative Officers; Article 6, Homicide; Article 7B, Rape and Other Sex Offenses; Article 8, Assaults; Article 10, Kidnapping and Abduction; Article 13, Malicious Injury or Damage by Use of Explosive or Incendiary Device or Material; Article 14, Burglary and Other Housebreakings; Article 15, Arson and Other Burnings; Article 16, Larceny; Article 17, Robbery; Article 18, Embezzlement; Article 19, False Pretenses and Cheats; Article 19A, Obtaining Property or Services by False or Fraudulent Use of Credit Device or Other Means; Article 19B, Financial Transaction Card Crime Act; Article 20, Frauds; Article 21, Forgery; Article 26, Offenses against Public Morality and Decency; Article 26A, Adult Establishments; Article 27, Prostitution; Article 28, Perjury; Article 29, Bribery; Article 31, Misconduct in Public Office; Article 35, Offenses Against the Public Peace; Article 36A, Riots, Civil Disorders, and Emergencies; Article 39, Protection of Minors; Article 40, Protection of the Family; Article 59, Public Intoxication; and Article 60, Computer-Related Crime. These crimes also include possession or sale of drugs in violation of the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act, Article 5 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, and alcohol-related offenses such as sale to underage persons in violation of G.S. 18B-302 or driving while impaired in violation of G.S. 20-138.1 through G.S. 20-138.5.

(e) Penalty for Furnishing False Information. - Any applicant for employment who willfully furnishes, supplies, or otherwise gives false information on an employment application that is the basis for a criminal history record check under this section shall be guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor.

(f) Conditional Employment. - An adult care home may employ an applicant conditionally prior to obtaining the results of a criminal history record check regarding the applicant if both of the following requirements are met:

(1) The adult care home shall not employ an applicant prior to obtaining the applicant's consent for a criminal history record check as required in subsection (a) of this section or the completed fingerprint cards as required in G.S. 143B-1209.20.

(2) The adult care home shall submit the request for a criminal history record check not later than five business days after the individual begins conditional employment.

(g) Immunity From Liability. - An entity and officers and employees of an entity shall be immune from civil liability for failure to check an employee's history of criminal offenses if the employee's criminal history record check is requested and received in compliance with this section.

(h) For purposes of this section, the term "private entity" means a business regularly engaged in conducting criminal history record checks utilizing public records obtained from a State agency. (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 606, s. 2; 1997-125, s. 1; 2000-154, ss. 2.(a), (b); 2004-124, ss. 10.19D(b), (g); 2005-4, ss. 6, 7; 2007-444, s. 3.1; 2012-12, s. 2(uu); 2014-100, s. 17.1(ggg); 2015-181, s. 47; 2023-134, s. 19F.4(r).)

§ 131D-41: Repealed by Session Laws 2009-462, s. 2, effective October 1, 2009.

§ 131D-42: Repealed by Session Laws 2009-462, s. 2, effective October 1, 2009.

§ 131D-43: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 131D-44: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 131D-45.  Examination and screening for the presence of controlled substances required for applicants for employment in adult care homes.

(a) An offer of employment by an adult care home licensed under this Article to an applicant is conditioned on the applicant's consent to an examination and screening for controlled substances. The examination and screening shall be conducted in accordance with Article 20 of Chapter 95 of the General Statutes. A screening procedure that utilizes a single-use test device may be used for the examination and screening of applicants and may be administered on-site. If the results of the applicant's examination and screening indicate the presence of a controlled substance, the adult care home shall not employ the applicant unless the applicant first provides to the adult care home written verification from the applicant's prescribing physician that every controlled substance identified by the examination and screening is prescribed by that physician to treat the applicant's medical or psychological condition. The verification from the physician shall include the name of the controlled substance, the prescribed dosage and frequency, and the condition for which the substance is prescribed. If the result of an applicant's or employee's examination and screening indicates the presence of a controlled substance, the adult care home may require a second examination and screening to verify the results of the prior examination and screening.

(b) An adult care home may require random examination and screening for controlled substances as a condition of continued employment. If the adult care home has reasonable grounds to believe that an employee is an abuser of a controlled substance, the adult care home may require that employee to undergo examination and screening for controlled substances as a condition of continued employment.

(c) An adult care home and an officer or employee of an adult care home that, in good faith, complies with this section is not liable for the failure of the adult care home to employ or continue the employment of an individual on the basis of the results of an examination and screening of the applicant or employee for controlled substances.

(d) An entity and officers and employees of an entity that perform controlled substance examination and screening in accordance with Article 20 of Chapter 95 of the General Statutes shall be immune from civil liability for conducting or failing to conduct the examination and screening if the examination and screening are requested and received in compliance with this section and with Article 20 of Chapter 95 of the General Statutes.

(e) The results of an examination and screening conducted at the request of an adult care home in accordance with this section are confidential and not a public record under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes. The adult care home shall maintain the confidentiality of all information related to the examination and screening of an applicant for employment or an individual currently employed by the adult care home.

(f) The adult care home shall pay expenses related to controlled substance examination and screening pursuant to this section, except examinee-requested retests. The examinee shall pay all reasonable expenses for retests of confirmed positive results. (2013-167, s. 1.)