Home > TAKE ACTION > Advocate for Mentoring > Background Checks >
Background Checks: Support Critical Legislation to Protect Your Mentees
Legislative Goal:
To secure passage for the Child Protection Improvements Act of 2009 in the House and Senate. These bills would create a permanent successor to MENTOR's existing SafetyNET background checks pilot that would be available to ALL organizations that work with young people. SafetyNET provides mentoring organizations with access to nationwide FBI fingerprint searches at a cost of $18 and with a 3-5 day turnaround time. The bills would addresses current problems with our nationwide background check system, which include: lack of access to nationwide checks, high cost, and often-lengthy response time.
Latest Action:
July 27, 2010: On July 22, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the Child Protection Improvements Act (HR 1469) by a vote of 413-4. We need your help to get this critical legislation passed in the Senate and signed into law.
The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees. If passed, the legislation would create a permanent successor to Safety NET—the Child Safety Pilot developed under the PROTECT Act of 2003. Currently, only some states allow access to FBI criminal records and over the past five years, data has proven the critical need for this information in ensuring that the volunteers and employees who would be in direct contact with children are suitable and safe.
As The PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET has proven time and again that FBI searches provide information essential for screening youth-serving volunteers and employees. Of the nearly 90,000 volunteers screened during the pilot, more than 6 percent have criminal records of concern, including serious crimes such as murder, rape and child sexual abuse. Furthermore, more than 41 percent of individuals with criminal records of concern had committed crimes in states other than where they were applying to volunteer—meaning only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records.
We need your help in making SafetyNET permanent. The recently passed House bill (HR 1469) was introduced and championed by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI). The Senate bill was introduced last year by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and is well supported by both sides of the aisle.
Now that this bipartisan legislation has been passed in the House, we need you to contact your Senators and ask for immediate passage of this legislation. Congress has a target adjournment date set for early October, and this legislation cannot wait.
Please click here to contact your Senators to ask for their co-sponsorship of S. 1598.
May 21, 2010: Earlier this year many of you helped encourage your Members of Congress to support an extension of the PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, through March 31, 2011. We are grateful for your support.
We now will need your help in making the goals and ideals of SafetyNET permanent. Last year, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced the Child Protection Improvements Act in the Senate (S. 1598). Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI), and John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the same legislation (H.R. 1469) in the House.
As The PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, has proven time and again, FBI searches provide information essential for screening youth-serving volunteers and employees. Of the nearly 77,000 volunteers screened during the pilot, more than 6 percent had criminal records of concern, including serious crimes such as murder, rape and child sexual abuse. Furthermore, more than 41 percent of individuals with criminal records of concern had committed crimes in states other than where they were applying to volunteer—meaning only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records.
The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees (in short, it would create a permanent successor to Safety NET). Currently, very few states allow access to this information, and over the past five years, data has proven the critical need for this information in ensuring that the volunteers and employees who would be in direct contact with children are suitable and safe.
As we begin the final stretch of the 111th Congress, we need your help more than ever in getting this legislation passed once and for all. Please contact your Representatives and Senators and ask for swift passage of this legislation. With a busy mid-term election season already well underway, Congress is busier than ever. We need them to act NOW to pass the Child Protection Improvements Act.
Please click here to contact your Senators and Representatives and ask for their cosponsorship of S. 1598 and H.R. 1469.
January 14, 2010: We need your help in making the goals and ideals of the Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, permanent. This past summer, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced the Child Protection Improvements Act in the Senate (S. 1598). Earlier in 2009, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the Child Protection Improvements Act (H.R. 1469) in the House.
The PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, which is sponsored by LifeLock (the leader in identity theft protection), has proven that FBI searches do provide information that is an absolute necessity for screening youth-serving volunteers and employees. Of the nearly 68,000 volunteers screened during the pilot, more than six percent had criminal records of concern, including serious crimes such as murder, rape and child sexual abuse. Furthermore, more than 41 percent of individuals with criminal records of concern had crimes in states other than where they were applying to volunteer—meaning only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records.
The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees (in short, it would create a permanent successor to Safety NET). Currently, very few states allow access to this information, and over the past five years, data has proven the critical need for this information in ensuring that the volunteers and employees who would be in direct contact with children are suitable and safe.
Please click here to contact your Members of Congress and ask for their cosponsorship of S. 1598 and H.R. 1469.
August 20, 2009: Last week, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced a newer version of the Child Protection Improvements Act in the Senate (S. 1598). Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), John Ensign (R-NV), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Arlen Specter (D-PA), David Vitter (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are also original cosponsors of the Senate bill.
The goal of this bipartisan bill is to allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees (in short, it would create a permanent successor to Safety NET). Currently, very few states allow access to this information, and over the past five years, data has proven the critical need for this information in ensuring that the volunteers and employees who would be in direct contact with children are suitable and safe.
Changes to the June version of the legislation (S. 1365) include ensuring that fingerprint processing times will not be hindered if fees are waived for nonprofit organizations. Another change clarifies language that inadvertently stated that fingerprints would remain on file for five years, technically making it unnecessary for fingerprints to be run again each time an individual applies for a new position. Because a five-year period leaves a large window during which an individual could commit a crime, references to fingerprints remaining on file for five years were removed. These changes make the legislation more effective in achieving its goals.
The PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, has proven time and again that FBI searches do provide information that is an absolute necessity for screening youth-serving volunteers and employees. Of the nearly 68,000 volunteers screened during the pilot, more than 6 percent had criminal records of concern, including serious crimes such as murder, rape and child sexual abuse. Furthermore, more than 41 percent of individuals with criminal records of concern had crimes in states other than where they were applying to volunteer—meaning only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records.
S. 1598 is endorsed by many youth-serving organizations including: A World Fit for Kids; After-School All-Stars; Afterschool Alliance; American Camp Association; America's Promise Alliance; Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Communities In Schools, Inc.; First Focus; The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network; Lutheran Services in America; MENTOR; National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies; National Collaboration for Youth; National Foster Care Coalition; and YMCA of the USA.
Earlier this year, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the Child Protection Improvements Act (H.R. 1469) in the House. We need your help in gaining cosponsors and supporters for this legislation in both bodies of Congress. We would like to see the House and Senate Judiciary Committees act on the legislation this fall before the pilot program expires in January.
Please click here to contact your Members of Congress and ask for their cosponsorship of S. 1598 and H.R. 1469.
July 6, 2009: Last week, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and John Ensign (R-NV) introduced the Child Protection Improvements Act in the Senate (S. 1365). Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Arlen Specter (D-PA), David Vitter (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are also original cosponsors of the Senate bill.
This bipartisan bill builds on efforts from the 110th Congress to present a strong piece of legislation incorporating the views of agencies and organizations — from the FBI to states rights groups to the EEOC — and most importantly, the views of those seeing the critical need to protect today’s children.
As you know, this bill would allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees (in short, it would create a permanent successor to Safety NET). Currently, very few states allow access to this information, and over the past five years, data has proven the critical need for this information in ensuring that the volunteers and employees who would be in direct contact with children are suitable and safe.
We know from the existing PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, SafetyNET, that FBI searches do provide information that is an absolute necessity for screening youth-serving volunteers and employees. More than 6% of the nearly 68,000 volunteers screened during the pilot had criminal records of concern, including serious crimes such as murder, rape and child sexual abuse. Furthermore, more than 41% of individuals with criminal records of concern had crimes in states other than where they were applying to volunteer—meaning only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records.
The Child Protection Improvements Act is endorsed by numerous youth-serving organizations including: A World Fit for Kids; After-School All-Stars; Afterschool Alliance; American Camp Association; America’s Promise Alliance; Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Communities In Schools, Inc.; First Focus; The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network; Lutheran Services in America; MENTOR; National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies; National Collaboration for Youth; National Foster Care Coalition; and YMCA of the USA.
With the Child Protection Improvements Act (H.R. 1469) already introduced in the House by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI) , we need your help in gaining cosponsors and supporters for this legislation in both bodies of Congress. We would like to see the House and Senate Judiciary Committees act on the legislation as soon as possible.
To contact your Members and ask for their cosponsorship of S. 1365 and H.R. 1469, please click here: http://www.capwiz.com/mentor/issues/alert/?alertid=13689551&type=CO
April 23, 2009: With the Child Protection Improvements Act (H.R. 1469) now introduced in the House, we need your help in increasing support for this legislation.We need your help in gaining cosponsors and supporters in the House. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI), and John Conyers (D-MI) builds on efforts made in the 110th Congress to present a solid piece of legislation incorporating the views of different aspects of society from the FBI to states rights groups to the EEOC, but most importantly- the views of those seeing the critical need to protect today’s children.
As you know, this bill would allow youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks on potential volunteers and employees (in short, it would create a permanent successor to Safety NET). Currently, very few states allow access to this information, and over the past five years, data has proven just how important this information is to ensuring the suitability of volunteers and employees who will be in direct contact with children.
Please click here to contact your Representatives and ask for their co-sponsorship of H.R. 1469.
The Senate is working out a compromise to introduce the House language in the Senate. Currently, there is a bill which was introduced by Sen. John Ensign, S. 163, with older language, which we fear will not make it out of the Judiciary Committee because it does not contain vital compromises agreed to by various stakeholders in the last Congress. While we are extremely grateful to Sen. Ensign for his concern for children and interest in the issue, we are hoping that he will work with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to introduce the House language in the Senate.
We will continue to work with both Senators to see this come to fruition. Once it is introduced, we would like to see the House and Senate Judiciary Committees act on the legislation as soon as possible.
Home | MEDIA CORNER | CAREERS | Donate/Support Us | SITE MAP | Contact Us | Mentor Store
© 2010 MENTOR | Questions? Problems with the site? | Privacy Policy | Reprint Our Articles