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Michigan House Bill 6400 Modifies Criminal History Check Requirements for Psychiatric Facility Employment

Original title: Mental health: facilities; criminal history check for employment in a psychiatric facility; modify.

Last action · September 29, 2026: bill electronically reproduced 09/24/2026Sponsor: Sarah Lightner

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Michigan House Bill 6400 updates the criminal history check and background screening requirements for prospective and current employees, ors, and clinical staff at psychiatric facilities. The measure establishes tiered disqualifying conviction timeframes ranging from 1 to 15 years based on the severity of offenses, outlines conditional employment rules, and requires fingerprint submission to the Department of State Police for automated database monitoring.

Why it matters

The bill alters hiring eligibility and mandatory reporting obligations for individuals seeking or holding employment at state psychiatric and residential care facilities, directly impacting job applicants, staffing agencies, and facility administrators across Michigan.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Psychiatric facilities

Facilities must conduct mandated criminal history checks, pay for background screening costs without applicant reimbursement, enforce disqualifying conviction rules, and terminate non-compliant staff.

Directly affected

Job applicants and employees

Individuals seeking or holding employment with direct patient access must submit to fingerprinting, provide written consent for background screening, and report any subsequent criminal arraignments.

Directly affected

Staffing agencies

Agencies providing temporary or permanent personnel to psychiatric facilities must comply with background check requirements and submit screening information to hiring facilities.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What background checks are required for individuals seeking employment at a psychiatric facility?
Applicants must give written consent for a criminal history check conducted by the Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with checks of all relevant state and federal registries for s of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property.
Can a psychiatric facility hire someone before their background check results arrive?
Yes, facilities may conditionally employ an individual if they request the criminal history check immediately, obtain a signed statement confirming no disqualifying convictions, and enforce required supervision or internet criminal history checks.
Are applicants charged for the cost of their background checks?
No. The psychiatric facility or staffing agency must pay the cost charged by the Department of State Police or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and cannot seek reimbursement from the prospective employee or or.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Sep 29, 2026House
    bill electronically reproduced 09/24/2026
  2. Sep 24, 2026HouseCommittee
    referred to Committee on Health Policy
  3. Sep 24, 2026HouseIntroduced
    read a first time
  4. Sep 24, 2026HouseIntroduced
    introduced by Representative Rep. Sarah Lightner

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference100% confidence

Enactment Dependency on Companion Bills

House Bill 6400 explicitly conditions its enactment on the passage of two specific companion measures of the 103rd Legislature, House Bill No. 6402 and House Bill No. 6401.

Connected Entities

Department of State Police, Medicare, Federal Bureau of Investigation and 1 more
OrganizationDepartment of State Police“State agency responsible for conducting criminal history checks and maintaining ”Map →
OrganizationMedicare“Federal program certifying home health agencies”Map →
OrganizationFederal Bureau of Investigation“Federal agency conducting national criminal history determinations”Map →
PersonSarah Lightner“Sponsor of House Bill 6400”Map →

Sources

Open source document

legislature.mi.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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