Dann seeks rise in background-check fees

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann wants a nearly 50 percent increase in the fee employers pay to have state background checks done on job candidates.

Raising the price from $15 to $22 would provide the state with up to $7 million in extra revenue, which Dann says would allow his office to hire more staff to handle the screening.

Demand for the service has been on the rise and is expected to get even heavier, due to a new law requiring background checks on more school employees and calls to boost screening of foster parents, day-care providers and others.

The attorney general said Sunday he expects a panel of state lawmakers to sign off on the proposal, which he says is long overdue. Dann says the fee hasn’t been raised in almost 20 years.