Subject: Consideration of a Policy to Waive the Fingerprint Rolling Fee normally charged for Applicants for Livescan Fingerprint Checks when the purpose of the Livescan is to satisfy the requirements to participate in Youth Service Organizations serving the youth of Lake County
Executive Summary: Effective January, 2022, Assembly Bill 506 imposed additional safety measures on businesses that provide services to minors, including youth service organizations, to include requiring an administrator, employee, or regular volunteer of the youth service organization to undergo a background check. These background checks are accomplished by performing a “Livescan” fingerprint check which will disclose any arrests and/or convictions that the applicant may have. The process also triggers a “subsequent arrest notification” whereby any future arrests result in notification to the agency.
The goal of this legislation is to ensure that children who participate in such programs are surrounded by safe adults, and prevent children from being victimized, endangered, or abused.
Local youth sports organizations have contacted the Sheriff requesting fee waivers for their employees, administrators, and volunteers for Livescan background checks.
Youth service organizations provide an extremely important service for our most important resource: our youth. Participation in youth sports, scouting, youth civic organizations, and other activities can play a critical role in youth’s development by providing them an outlet to burn energy, develop character, strengthen their muscles and their minds, develop social skills, learn the importance and value of teamwork, provide them with positive role models, and to ultimately lead them to be the same positive role models for the next generation.
These programs are not always free, and many children who are economically disadvantaged receive informal scholarships to participate in these activities. The importance of these programs drives such decisions.
Many adults who volunteer their time to serve as coaches, managers, counselors, scorekeepers, umpires, and referees do so without compensation, and do so without expense. Burdening volunteers who are qualified and willing to donate their time by requiring the fees associated with the Livescan process will undoubtedly deter some of those volunteers from participating, thereby denying some of the benefits of youth activities to Lake County’s children.
The Sheriff requests your Board’s approval to implement a policy to waive the fingerprint rolling fee normally charged for applicants for Livescan fingerprint checks when the purpose of the Livescan is to satisfy the requirements to participate in Youth Service Organizations serving the youth of Lake County.
This action will not waive any of the fees required by the Department of Justice for this service.