I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5920 
To direct the Attorney General to establish a system of background checks 
for employers and employees of the electronic life safety and security 
system installation and monitoring industry, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 29, 2008 
Mr. BROUN of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To direct the Attorney General to establish a system of 
background checks for employers and employees of the 
electronic life safety and security system installation and 
monitoring industry, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Life Safety 
and Security Systems Federal Background Check Act of 
2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds— 
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(1) the electronic life safety and security sys-
tems industry performs critical security installation 
and protection for much of the infrastructure in the 
United States and provides commercial buildings, 
public agencies and residences with alarm and secu-
rity systems that are an important part of homeland 
security and anti-crime and terrorist prevention; 
(2) these systems include central monitoring 
stations and individual employer-owned companies 
and other private sector businesses that install sys-
tems in these structures; 
(3) some States do not provide for any licensing 
or regulation requirement that includes a State or 
Federal background check on employers and employ-
ees of these companies; 
(4) many employers and their employees in the 
industry travel across State lines to install their sys-
tems and may or may not be required to undergo 
Federal background checks as a condition of employ-
ment and in some cases there may be background 
check requirements at the State level or duplicated 
background checks at the county or city levels; and 
(5) many employers and their employees in the 
industry have access to public and private structures 
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and should undergo a Federal background check to 
protect lives and property. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF BACKGROUND CHECK. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a 
method to permit employers in the electronic life safety 
and security systems installation and monitoring industry 
to access the information contained in appropriate records 
acquired under section 534 of title 28, United States 
Code, to provide the employers with any resulting relevant 
criminal history record information in accordance with the 
following goals and standards: 
(1) Employers should be able to discover if em-
ployees or prospective employees have been convicted 
of a felony or of an offense involving dishonesty or 
false statement or the use of force against the per-
son of another within the 10 years prior to the 
check. 
(2) Employers should be able to obtain access 
to Federal criminal history record information by 
the Attorney General designating, the National Bur-
glar and Fire Alarm Association, as the channeling 
organization representing the electronic life safety 
and security systems industry. 
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(3) The access provided under this Act should 
not duplicate access by an employer regarding an 
employee working only within one State where the 
State licencing and regulation of that employee al-
ready requires a Federal background check. 
(4) Each employee for whom a background 
check is provided under this Act should be issued a 
Federal Background Check Completion identification 
card by the Department of Justice for an appro-
priate period of time up to two years, indicating that 
the check was made with no adverse results. During 
that period of time, an employer or prospective em-
ployer may rely on this card instead of seeking a 
new Federal background check. 
(5) The Federal Background Check Completion 
ID card should receive reciprocity from States, in-
cluding those without a requirement for a Federal 
background check for this industry or without any 
requirement for background checks for this industry. 
(6) The Attorney General may set reasonable 
fees to be charged in connection with the method for 
background checks authorized under this Act. 
(7) The Attorney General, in establishing the 
method for background checks, shall give due con-
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sideration to privacy protections and employee 
rights. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITION. 
As used in this Act, the term ‘‘electronic life safety 
and security systems industry’’ means businesses that pro-
vide installation and central monitoring of fire and burglar 
alarm systems to public or private entities including but 
not limited to fire alarms, burglar alarms, closed-circuit 
TV, biometric systems, access control systems and other 
crime prevention systems. 
Æ 
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