AB 277: Autism: behavioral technician certification.

Existing law authorizes the State Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to perform various duties relating to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including disseminating educational information, providing advice, conducting educational and related work, and organizing, establishing, and maintaining community mental health clinics and overseeing regional centers for people with developmental disabilities.

Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain state summary criminal history information, as defined, and to furnish this information as required by statute to specified entities, including the agency or entity identified in a statute. Under existing law, the disclosure of state summary criminal history information to an unauthorized person is a crime.

This bill would require DDS to establish a certification process for behavioral technicians, as defined, including, among others, qualified autism service providers. The bill would require the certification process to include, at a minimum, a criminal background check, except as specified. The bill would prohibit the department from certifying an individual who has been convicted of a crime involving a minor. The bill would require a behavioral technician to request certification from the department if their duties include, or would include, working with a patient who is under 18 years of age. The bill would prohibit a developmental center, facility, or program that provides services to a person who is under 18 years of age from employing a behavioral technician who is not certified by the department. By expanding the scope of the crime of unlawful disclosure of state summary criminal history information, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.