42 U.S.C. § 12645g
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)Each entity selecting individuals to serve in a position in which the individuals receive a living allowance, stipend, national service educational award, or salary through a program receiving assistance under the national service laws, shall, subject to regulations and requirements established by the Corporation, conduct criminal history checks for such individuals.
- (b)A criminal history check under subsection (a) shall, except in cases approved for good cause by the Corporation, include—
- (c)An individual shall be ineligible to serve in a position described under subsection (a) if such individual—
- (1)refuses to consent to the criminal history check described in subsection (b);
- (2)makes a false statement in connection with such criminal history check;
- (3)is registered, or is required to be registered, on a State sex offender registry or the National Sex Offender Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.); 1 or
- (4)has been convicted of murder, as described in section 1111 of title 18.
- (d)
- (1)Notwithstanding subsection (b), on and after the date that is 2 years after April 21, 2009, a criminal history check under subsection (a) for each individual described in paragraph (2) shall, except for an entity described in paragraph (3), include—
- (A)a name-based search of the National Sex Offender Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.); 1
- (B)a search of the State criminal registry or repository in the State in which the program is operating and the State in which the individual resides at the time of application; and
- (C)submitting fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history background check.
- (2)An individual described in this paragraph is an individual age 18 or older who—
- (A)serves in a position in which the individual receives a living allowance, stipend, national service educational award, or salary through a program receiving assistance under the national service laws; and
- (B)as a result of such individual’s service in such position, has or will have access, on a recurring basis, to—
- (3)The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to an entity—
- (A)where the service provided by individuals serving with the entity to a vulnerable population described in paragraph (2)(B) is episodic in nature or for a 1-day period;
- (B)where the cost to the entity of complying with this subsection is prohibitive;
- (C)where the entity is not authorized, or is otherwise unable, under State law, to access the national criminal history background check system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
- (D)where the entity is not authorized, or is otherwise unable, under Federal law, to access the national criminal history background check system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or
- (E)to which the Corporation otherwise provides an exemption from this subsection for good cause.
- (1)Notwithstanding subsection (b), on and after the date that is 2 years after April 21, 2009, a criminal history check under subsection (a) for each individual described in paragraph (2) shall, except for an entity described in paragraph (3), include—