Legislation to extend a pilot program that allows youth-serving organizations to obtain criminal background checks on volunteers and employees was passed by the House Thursday.
The bill, passed by 413-4, directs the Justice Department to coordinate with states to streamline the process for organizations that work with children. It builds on a successful pilot program created under a 2003 law, paving the way to make the program permanent.
According to bill sponsor Adam B. Schiff , D-Calif., more than 89,000 FBI fingerprint checks have been conducted under the pilot program and 6.1 percent of potential volunteers were found to have criminal records of concern. More than 40 percent of those individuals had criminal records in states other than where they were applying to volunteer — “meaning that only a nationwide check would have caught the criminal records,” Schiff said during floor debate on the measure earlier in the week.
Under the measure, non-profit organizations would pay not more $25 and a fee charged by the FBI for a nationwide background check. State and nationwide background check requests would have to be met within 10 business days.
Supporters from both parties emphasized the program’s proven success. The pilot program has “demonstrated that background checks for nonprofits working with children can be conducted quickly, affordably, and accurately,” Schiff said.
House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Robert C. Scott , D-Va., added, “This is a non-controversial, fee-based program that has successfully provided invaluable information to mentoring organizations at no cost to the taxpayers. It makes sense now to make the program permanent.”
The bill has the support of a variety of national youth-serving organizations, including Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Personally, I think this bill is a great idea.
However, it does illustrate a point I have repeatedly made. That is…nationwide background checks are not only a good idea, but practically required in order to get the complete sordid past of a person.
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