U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding mandatory nationwide background checks for contractors working with children. The bill seeks to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (NCPA) to ensure all individuals under contract with schools undergo thorough background checks.
The proposed legislation addresses a gap created by the Child Protection Improvements Act of 2018, which unintentionally limited the scope of background checks for contractors. This new bill would ensure that all contractors with unsupervised access to children, including those hired by schools, are subject to nationwide background checks.
“Background checks for childcare workers are common sense,” said Senator Hawley. “This legislation with Senator Durbin fixes an oversight in the law and will help keep American kids safe. Parents should be assured that everyone who works with their kids, even contractors, has been thoroughly vetted.”
Senator Durbin echoed these sentiments, highlighting the importance of child safety. “When parents drop their kids off at school, they shouldn’t have to worry if their children are safe in the care of the school’s faculty. Our legislation ensures that contractors, including those providing vital services like transportation, undergo the same vetting process as school staff.”
The bill aims to provide a uniform approach to background checks for contractors in schools, addressing what both senators describe as a “patchwork approach” under current law.
The full bill text is available here.
