On June 13, the House approved, 415-1, a bill (H.R. 4894) to require the attorney general, when requested by local or state educational agencies or private schools, to conduct fingerprint-based checks of the national crime information databases on individuals who are employed, are being considered for employment, or are volunteering at a school or agency, in a position in which the individual will work with or around children. The bill was approved, by voice vote, by the House Judiciary Committee on May 25 (see The Source, 5/26/2006).
Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV), the bill’s sponsor, said: “We are fortunate to have some of the greatest and best teachers in the world, but we want to make sure that those few that try to sneak through the system are caught in advance…We need to make sure that the fast-growing states and the balance of states in this country have as much information as available.”
Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) expressed his strong support of the legislation, saying Congress has “a responsibility to do everything within our power and possibility to make sure that [children] can grow up safe and secure.”
