CHILD SAFETY LEGISLATION PASSES BOTH CHAMBERS, INCLUDES PORTER’S TEACHER BACKGROUND CHECK PROVISION - President to sign bill into law later this week

Tuesday July 25, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4472, the “Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006,” which contains a provision authored by Third District Congressman Jon Porter that will expedite and improve the way background checks are conducted on potential teachers.  The bill, which passed out of the Senate late last week, now moves to the President for his signature.

“The importance of the way we vet individuals working with our children cannot be overstated, which is why I have been pushing for these background check improvements in some way, shape or form for years,” said Porter.  “When the President signs this bill into law later this week, over 27 million students across the country will greatly benefit.”

“Congressman Porter should be commended for his leadership on this issue and his efforts to help ensure our nation’s students are safe in the classroom,” noted House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH).

Porter’s provision allows for fingerprint-based checks of the national crime information databases, pursuant to a request submitted by a local education agency or state educational agency, on individuals under consideration for employment in a position working with or around children.  The provision also stipulates that when possible, the check shall include a fingerprint-based check of state criminal history databases.

While differences between the House and Senate versions of the “Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006” were being worked out, Porter introduced his teacher background check provision as a stand-alone House bill to ensure it remained prominent on the Congressional legislative agenda.  That bill, H.R. 4894, the “School Safety Acquiring Faculty Excellence Act,” passed the House in June by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 415 – 1 vote.

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