House Backs Porter Bill to  

Help States and Local Communities

Bolster School Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the School Safety Acquiring Faculty Excellence Act (H.R. 4894), legislation to enhance the ability of state and local school districts to protect students.  To ensure school safety, the bill – authored by Education & the Workforce Committee Member Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) – provides public and private schools access to national criminal information databases, giving schools a valuable tool to use in hiring personnel entrusted with educating students.

“It’s imperative that we keep our kids safe at school, which is why I worked hard on this legislation,” said Rep. Porter.  “By thoroughly vetting those who interact with our children, we will no doubt make our communities safer.  This bill will provide our school districts with another tool in their extraordinary efforts to bring highly qualified staff to our classrooms and schools.”

Under H.R. 4894, candidates for employment within public and private schools will be subject to fingerprint-based background checks to provide accurate and useful information to school administrators.  Such criminal background information already exists, but the Porter bill aims to put it into the hands of those who are working to protect our children in their schools.  In addition to crafting this legislation, Porter has hosted a 21^st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee field hearing on the issue, gathering input from parents and school officials from his home state of Nevada.

“America’s teachers are at the very heart of our education system and play a vital role in the lives of children,” noted Education & Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA).  “Their daily one-on-one interaction with the children in their classrooms cannot easily be matched.  It is for that reason that we want to be sure they are of no threat to our children.  I commend Representative Porter for offering this legislation to bolster protection for our nation’s students.” 

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