Nursing background checks proposed

New nursing license applicants would be subject to a criminal background check under a bill heard by the Health and Human Services Committee Jan. 28.

LB129, introduced by Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, would require a criminal background check for applicants for an initial license to practice as a registered or licensed practical nurse.

Harr said it is national best practice for nurses to be subject to a thorough criminal background check, and 34 states require them. Currently, nursing licensure applicants are subject only to a name check and review for in-state convictions, he said.

“This [current process] does not provide any information about an applicant’s actions that took place outside the state of Nebraska,” Harr said.

Linda Lazure, testifying on behalf of the Nebraska Board of Nursing, supported LB129, saying the measure would ensure the health and safety of Nebraskans. She said that after a similar law was passed in Texas, the state discovered that 28 percent of applicants had felony criminal histories.

“The lesson to be learned is that requiring fingerprint-based criminal background checks is a sound safety policy,” Lazure said.

No opposition testimony was given and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.