75-5393c. Regulation of communication access services; rules and regulations; fees. (a) The commission shall develop and administer a program to provide guidelines for the utilitization of communication access services, communication access service providers and interpreter service agencies. The executive director of the commission may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of this section. Such rules and regulations may include, but not be limited to:

(1) Fees necessary to fund the expenses and operating costs incurred in the administration and enforcement of this section;

(2) determination of the qualifications of communication access service providers;

(3) minimum standards of training of communication access service providers;

(4) registration of communication access service providers and interpreter service agencies;

(5) a code of professional conduct governing communication access service providers;

(6) standards for equipment or technology supporting communication access services;

(7) a system of statewide coordination of communication access services; and

(8) any other matter that the executive director deems necessary to effectuate the provisions of this section.

(b) (1) The commission may require communication access service providers to be fingerprinted and to submit to a state and national criminal history record check. The fingerprints shall be used to identify the applicant and to determine whether the applicant has a record of criminal history in this state or another jurisdiction. The commission is authorized to submit the fingerprints to the Kansas bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation for a state and national criminal history record check. The commission may use the information obtained from fingerprinting and the applicant's criminal history for purposes of verifying the identification of any individual and in the official determination of the qualifications and fitness of the individual to provide communication access services.

(2) Local and state law enforcement officers and agencies shall assist the commission in taking the fingerprints of individuals. Local and state law enforcement officers and agencies may charge a fee as reimbursement for expenses incurred in taking and processing fingerprints under this section. The Kansas bureau of investigation shall release all records of an individual's adult convictions to the commission.

(3) The commission may fix and collect a fee for fingerprinting and conducting a state and national criminal history record check of individuals pursuant to this section as may be required by the commission in an amount equal to the cost of fingerprinting and the criminal history record check.

History: L. 2022, ch. 50, § 3; July 1.