By Sherry Sancibrian, MS, CCC-SLP

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is required to use fingerprinting to conduct a national criminal history background check for your license type and to subscribe to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Civil Rap Back Program to receive information about any future criminal activity. Individuals whose last date to obtain and submit fingerprints was prior to June 1, 2015, are no longer subscribed to the FBI Rap Back program, and the subscription cannot be created until the applicant is re-fingerprinted and the fingerprints accepted by the FBI.

TDLR was previously allowing licensees to renew a license without having to submit a new set of fingerprints and relying on the Texas Department of Public Safety criminal history record information. However, TDLR is now starting to notify licensees who fall into the status as stated above that they will need to get re-fingerprinted so TDLR will receive both state and national criminal history record information. They will be notifying Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) members at the time of license renewal with specific procedures to follow.