Committee advances bill to raise background-check and fingerprinting fees

Senator Murdoch presented SB 1921 as an OSPI/OSBI-request bill to increase fees for criminal-history and fingerprint background checks. He said the increases would fund electronic infrastructure and staff needed for timely processing and high-volume fingerprinting; Murdoch noted OSBI has not had a fee increase since 1994.

Under the proposal, the basic criminal-history check would rise from $15 to $20; the Oklahoma criminal-history check with fingerprints would rise from $19 to $25; and a mailed national fingerprint submission would rise from $41 to $55. Murdoch said electronic submissions for the national check would remain at the current rate.

Committee members asked whether agencies or individuals pay the fees in current practice. Derek White (identified in the transcript as OSPI/OSBI) said he was not sure in every circumstance; committee members noted examples where schools paid for background checks for staff. Murdoch acknowledged the bill does not change the existing language about which agencies or persons may be charged; it only increases fee amounts.

A do-pass motion (mover: Senator Murdoch; second: Senator Wingard) carried on a 7–0 roll call and the bill advanced from committee.