Proposed fee increase

The Arizona Board of Fingerprinting is proposing an increase to its portion of the fingerprint-clearance-card fee. The Board is soliciting comments from the public on proposed rules to increase the fee. Individuals or organizations that want to submit comments must do so by Monday, May 5, 2008, using the contact information below.

Summary
The proposed increase is $5.00, which would bring the total cost of a fingerprint clearance card from $47.00 to $52.00 for paid employees and $43.00 to $48.00 for volunteers. The fee increase would go into effect on July 1, 2008.

You may download a copy of the rules at the bottom of the page.

Board funding and the fingerprint-clearance-card fee
Individuals who apply for a fingerprint clearance card must pay a fee. This fee is split between three agencies: the Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Board of Fingerprinting. The Board currently receives $3.00 from each fingerprint-clearance-card application.

The Board is authorized to establish fees under Arizona Revised Statutes ("A.R.S.") § 41-619.53(A)(5). The Board of Fingerprinting Fund is established by A.R.S. § 41-619.56 and includes monies appropriated by the Arizona State Legislature and collected through the Board's fingerprint-clearance-card fee. The Board's revenues come entirely from its fee; the Board does not receive legislative appropriations. The Board of Fingerprinting Fund is exempt from the lapsing of appropriations, and the Board is not required to submit 10% of its revenues to the state's general fund.

Why a fee increase is necessary
In October 2003, the Board established its current $3.00 fee. Since then, the Board has expanded its staff to seven employees (currently, with one vacancy) from four and moved into a larger facility. In addition, Laws 2007, Chapter 205, § 3, established timeframes that required the Board to incur additional long-term and one-time costs. The Board has operated at a deficit and must correct that deficit by increasing its fee revenues.

The Board has determined that a $4.00 fee increase may be sufficient on a short-term basis. The Board is proposing a $5.00 fee to avoid subsequent fee increases, in the interest of agencies and organizations that require fingerprint clearance cards. Citizens and organizations that have concerns about the $5.00 increase should submit comments to the Board's executive director so that the Board may consider these concerns when determining the final level of increase. In particular, citizens and organizations may want to indicate whether they prefer a single, large increase or a smaller increase that would be followed in later years by another increase.
How to submit comments
If you would like to comment on the proposed rules, please submit comments by Monday, May 5, 2008 using the following contact information.

Dennis Seavers, Executive Director
Arizona Board of Fingerprinting
Mail Code 185
P.O. Box 6129
Phoenix, AZ 85005-6129
(602) 265-3747
(602) 265-6240 (fax)
[email protected]

The Board will consider all comments and make a final decision on the fee increase at a meeting in May. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2008.