Use of fingerprints for employment or license; retention of fingerprints; requirement to submit to fingerprint background check based on access to confidential tax information
Ind. Code § 10-13-3-38.5
in effectSec. 38.5. (a) Under federal P.L.92-544 (86 Stat. 1115), the department may use an individual's fingerprints submitted by the individual for the following purposes:
(1) Determining the individual's suitability for employment with the state, or as an employee of a contractor of the state, in a position:
(A) that has a job description that includes contact with, care of, or supervision over a person less than eighteen (18) years of age;
(B) that has a job description that includes contact with, care of, or supervision over an endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2), except the individual is not required to meet the standard for harmed or threatened with harm set forth in IC 12-10-3-2(a)(3);
(C) at a state institution managed by the office of the secretary of family and social services or Indiana department of health;
(D) at the Indiana School for the Deaf established by IC 20-22-2-1;
(E) at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired established by IC 20-21-2-1;
(F) at a juvenile detention facility;
(G) with the Indiana gaming commission under IC 4-33-3-16;
(H) with the department of financial institutions under IC 28-11-2-3; or
(I) that has a job description that includes access to or supervision over state financial or personnel data, including state warrants, banking codes, or payroll information pertaining to state employees.
(2) Determining the individual's suitability for employment with state or local government, or as an employee of a contractor of state or local government, in a position in which the individual's duties include access to confidential tax information obtained from the United States Internal Revenue Service under Section 6103(d) of the Internal Revenue Code or from an authorized secondary source.
(3) Identification in a request related to an application for a teacher's license submitted to the department of education established by IC 20-19-3-1.
(4) Use by the gaming commission established under IC 4-33-3-1 for licensure of a promoter (as defined in IC 4-33-22-6) under IC 4-33-22.
(5) Use by the Indiana board of pharmacy in determining the individual's suitability for a position or employment with a wholesale drug distributor, as specified in IC 25-26-14-16(b), IC 25-26-14-16.5(b), IC 25-26-14-17.8(c), and IC 25-26-14-20.
(6) Identification in a request related to an individual applying for or renewing a license or certificate described in IC 25-1-1.1-4 and a conviction described in IC 25-1-1.1-2 or IC 25-1-1.1-3.
An applicant shall submit the fingerprints in an appropriate format or on forms provided for the employment, license, or certificate application. The department shall charge each applicant the fee established under section 28 of this chapter and by federal authorities to defray the costs associated with a search for and classification of the applicant's fingerprints. The department may forward fingerprints submitted by an applicant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other agency for processing. The state personnel department, the Indiana professional licensing agency, or the agency to which the applicant is applying for employment or a license may receive the results of all fingerprint investigations.
(b) An applicant who is an employee of the state may not be charged under subsection (a).
(c) Subsection (a)(1) does not apply to an employee of a contractor of the state if the contract involves the construction or repair of a capital project or other public works project of the state.
(d) Each current or new state or local government employee whose duties include access to confidential tax information described in subsection (a)(2) must submit to a fingerprint based criminal history background check of both national and state records data bases before being granted access to the confidential tax information. In addition to the initial criminal history background checks, each state or local government employee whose duties include access to confidential tax information described in subsection (a)(2) must submit to such criminal history background checks at least once every five (5) years thereafter. The appointing authority of such a state or local government employee may pay any fee charged for the cost of fingerprinting or conducting the criminal history background checks for the state or local government employee. Only the state or local government agency in its capacity as the individual's employer or to which the applicant is applying for employment is entitled to receive the results of all fingerprint investigations.
(e) Each current or new contractor or subcontractor whose contract or subcontract grants access to confidential tax information described in subsection (a)(2) must submit to a fingerprint based criminal history background check of both national and state records data bases at least once every five (5) years before being granted access to the confidential tax information. Only the state or local government agency is entitled to receive the results of all fingerprint investigations conducted under this subsection.
(f) Each contract entered into by the state in which access to confidential tax information described in subsection (a)(2) is granted to a contractor or a subcontractor shall include:
(1) terms regarding which party is responsible for payment of any fee charged for the cost of the fingerprinting or the criminal history background checks; and
(2) terms regarding the consequences if one (1) or more disqualifying records are discovered through the criminal history background checks.
(g) The department:
(1) may permanently retain an applicant's fingerprints submitted under this section; and
(2) shall retain the applicant's fingerprints separately from fingerprints collected under section 24 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.261-2003, SEC.13. Amended by P.L.1-2005, SEC.119; P.L.120-2005, SEC.1; P.L.212-2005, SEC.1; P.L.218-2005, SEC.4; P.L.246-2005, SEC.90; P.L.1-2006, SEC.173; P.L.160-2009, SEC.2; P.L.113-2010, SEC.71; P.L.155-2011, SEC.2; P.L.212-2018(ss), SEC.31; P.L.137-2022, SEC.102; P.L.56-2023, SEC.66.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/10Fetched: 10/17/2026