Behavioral health centers, facilities, and programs: background checks.

Assembly Member Alanis's proposal to require background checks for behavioral health treatment providers aims to prevent individuals convicted of crimes involving minors from working in behavioral health centers, facilities, and programs throughout California.

The legislation would establish mandatory criminal background screening requirements through the Department of Justice for all personnel providing behavioral health treatment services. Under current law, businesses serving minors must notify parents about their background check policies, but no uniform screening requirement exists specifically for behavioral health providers. The new provisions would create a standardized verification process to identify and exclude applicants with relevant criminal histories.

The measure addresses implementation costs by specifying that local agencies and school districts will not receive state reimbursement for expenses related to the new requirements. The bill classifies unauthorized disclosure of background check information as a criminal offense, expanding existing protections for state summary criminal history records. Behavioral health providers would be responsible for ensuring compliance with the screening protocols as a condition of employment.