Joe’s Bill
A proposed Ohio bill would protect Ohio citizens from improper background checks in the state of Ohio:
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, in the House of Representatives, would cause any state employee or agency who makes an improper background check to be fired and/or charged with a first-degree misdemeanor. A Senate companion to the bill is being sponsored by Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Toledo.
. . .
If passed, the bill would:
* set the criteria for determining which employees can access or authorize access to confidential, personal information
* list valid reasons for accessing information
* fire any unclassified employee who violates the rules by improperly accessing information
* record each specific access by employees of state agencies to confidential personal information
* provide notice to citizens whose confidential personal information has been improperly accessed
* allow a citizen to make a written request to an agency to identify all personal confidential information on that person maintained by the agencyThe bills also would allow anyone who is harmed by an improper records search to sue the person or agency responsible.
The bills came about after Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles found that Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Department of Job and Family Services, had no legitimate reasons to check the background of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, a Toledo-area resident better known as “Joe the Plumber” by Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Charles also found that Jones-Kelley improperly used her state e-mail account to raise campaign money for President-elect Barack Obama. Gov. Ted Strickland placed Jones-Kelly on a one month unpaid suspension, and four other employees at the agency also were punished.
I’m pretty sure unnecessary background checks are already illegal (maybe not?), but I like the fact that it could be easier to file suit. It just sounds right.
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