Board of chiropractic examiners-criminal history records.
Summary
SF0167 authorizes the Wyoming Board of Chiropractic Examiners to obtain criminal history background checks for two purposes: initial licensure applicants and licensees who are the subject of a complaint, investigation, or disciplinary action. The bill amends Wyoming’s criminal history record statutes to expressly allow the board access to criminal history information and to require fingerprinting and other identifying information from affected applicants and licensees.
The bill also adds specific timing and implementation requirements. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board must request criminal history background information for all initial applicants for chiropractic licensure, and the act applies to initial applicants and licensees under investigation or discipline on and after July 1, 2025. The board is directed to adopt all necessary rules by July 1, 2025, and the act takes effect July 1, 2025, with the rulemaking-related sections effective immediately upon enactment.
Impact
This act changes Wyoming law in Title 7 and Title 33 by creating a specific statutory pathway for the chiropractic board to access criminal history record information and by requiring fingerprints for licensure and certain disciplinary matters. It expands the list of entities authorized to receive criminal history information and imposes a new background-check requirement on chiropractic applicants and, when requested, on existing licensees involved in investigations or discipline. The practical effect is to add a formal criminal screening component to chiropractic licensure and enforcement in Wyoming.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported throughout the legislative process. It received unanimous or near-unanimous committee approval in both chambers and passed floor votes with large majorities, indicating general agreement that the measure was a routine professional-regulation and public-protection bill. The absence of committee transcript debate suggests little public controversy or extended opposition in the recorded materials.
Contention
There is little visible contention in the available record. The only notable opposition appears to have been limited floor dissent, with one no vote in the Senate and five no votes in the House on third reading. Any concerns likely centered on the expansion of criminal background checks and fingerprinting requirements for chiropractors, including privacy, administrative burden, or the scope of board authority, but the recorded votes indicate those concerns did not significantly slow the bill.