A-Check Global remains focused on efforts being made to once again grant access to previously redacted identifier information within Michigan court records. The Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA)—a non-profit organization established to represent Consumer Reporting Agencies offering employment background screening services—continues to advocate for our industry, and has recently shared positive developments with its membership on this issue.

As a previously negotiated amendment to Michigan Court Rule 1.109, the Michigan State Court registration site went into effect on April 1, 2022. With this important action, court researches and additional, “authorized individuals” were provided opportunity to register with the Michigan State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) for continued access to PII within the Michigan court system.

PBSA has remained extremely active in monitoring this new access authority since April 1, and thankfully, the Michigan SCAO has been receptive to feedback about any workflow issues reported to PBSA. To date, there have been some ongoing instances of process delays. Some courts have restricted access, or limit the total number of verifications a researcher can perform per day.

On April 19, the Michigan SCAO released an FAQ document to provide further information on personal identifying information in court filings, including:

• Authorized Individuals should be able to obtain court records by fax or email, and not be required to do so in person at Michigan courts.
• Authorized individuals can use a redacted version of their own driver’s license as official identification.
• Michigan courts cannot charge for a record check. Except where prohibited by law, they can however, charge a reproduction fee or copy fee.

It is noted by PBSA’s member advisory that local Michigan courts may continue to introduce process policies that could negatively impact turnaround time for court research. We at A-Check will continue to closely monitor this issue and keep our valued clients informed with any further progress.

We’re here to help answer any questions you may have, and we are honored to serve you.