WASHINGTON – Camps, children’s organizations and not-for-profit groups that hire employees or use volunteers need better access to background checks for those potential workers, Senator Charles Schumer said Wednesday, so he is pushing legislation that would let employers gain access to federal criminal background checks.
In the Hudson Valley alone, there are over 1,800 registered sex offenders and roughly 100 related crimes last year.
Schumer is concerned for children, who can be potential prey for sex offenders looking for work, so he is backing federal legislation to allow children’s organizations to gain more than state database access.
“The bill requires the attorney general to designate a clearinghouse within the Justice Department to facilitate access to nationwide background checks for youth serving organizations and provides them with reliable, accurate determination,” Schumer said.
The senator said the now expired PROTECT Act Child Safety Pilot, passed in 2003, demonstrated the importance of a nationwide fingerprint-based FBI criminal background check.
