U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin announced on Apr. 22 the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Comprehensive Health and Integrity in Licensing and Documentation (CHILD) Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at securing nationwide background checks for all individuals with unsupervised access to children, including independent contractors hired by schools.
The legislation addresses concerns about gaps in federal law that have made it difficult to conduct thorough background checks on certain child care workers. The issue is seen as important for protecting children and ensuring that only qualified individuals are entrusted with their care.
“Every individual who works with children must be thoroughly vetted – it’s common sense. The bipartisan CHILD Act will ensure all child care workers, including contractors, are authorized to receive a nationwide background check. I’m glad the Senate acted unanimously to pass this important legislative fix, and I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to do the same,” Grassley said.
Durbin said, “Kids in schools should be surrounded by the most qualified, caring staff. A loophole in federal law inadvertently complicated the process for requesting background checks for some child care workers, namely school contractors. This bill is a simple fix to ensure nationwide access to background checks for those entrusted with our children. I’m glad to see the Senate pass it unanimously, and I encourage the House to pass it expeditiously.” The CHILD Act has received endorsements from several organizations including Students Against Destructive Decisions and Parents Helping Parents Inc.
The National Child Protection Act of 1993 originally allowed states to request national background checks on all child care workers. However, changes made by Congress in 2018 unintentionally removed this provision for independent contractors working with children. The new legislation amends existing law so that these contractors can again undergo comprehensive screening like other employees.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plays a key role in shaping public safety policies through its legislative work and oversight duties according to its official website. It reviews legislation related to constitutional protections and civil rights according to its official website, oversees federal law enforcement agencies according to its official website, evaluates judicial nominations according to its official website, conducts meetings led by a chairperson from one of two major political parties according to its official website, and exerts influence over legal matters across the nation from Washington D.C. according to its official website.
If passed by the House of Representatives as well, supporters say this measure would close an unintended gap left open since 2018 reforms.
