Bishop, Schiff Applaud Signing of Bipartisan Child Protection Improvements Act

Press Release

Today, Congressmen Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) applauded the final passage and signing of the bipartisan Child Protection Improvements Act (CPIA). CPIA ensures youth-serving organizations in every state can access FBI background checks for prospective staff and volunteers.

"We can all agree on the importance of providing a safe environment for our children -- but unfortunately, thousands of organizations serving children and other vulnerable populations are often unable to access the gold standard for criminal background checks, the FBI's fingerprint-based background checks," said Rep. Bishop. "With the signing of CPIA into law, our youth-serving organizations across America will have the resources they need to hire the best possible employees and volunteers to work with our children."

"When parents send their children to after-school programs, sports camps, or for mentoring, they should be able to trust that their children are in good hands," Rep. Schiff said. "An FBI background check is the gold standard, and I believe that's what we should strive for when it comes to protecting children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities who are put in potentially vulnerable situations. CPIA will ensure that every child serving organization in America has access to the most comprehensive and effective background check possible."

Specifically, the Child Protection Improvements Act:

Ensures that organizations that serve children, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly all across the country will have access to FBI fingerprint searches in a timely and affordable manner;
Protects privacy rights by ensuring that the specifics of a criminal record are never disclosed without explicit consent by the volunteer or employee, and provides an opportunity for individuals to correct errors in their records;
Does NOT authorize any new spending. The program will be supported by the fees assessed for background checks from the requesting nonprofit organizations;
Does NOT require organizations to utilize FBI fingerprint background checks, only makes them available to those wishing to utilize them.
The bill has garnered support from 34 national organizations, including:

American Camp Association
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America
Boys and Girls Clubs of America
Girl Scouts of the USA
MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
Mentoring USA
National 4-H Council
National Network for Youth
National Summer Learning Association
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National PTA
YMCA of the USA
Reps. Bishop and Schiff introduced CPIA in January 2017. The bill passed the House in May 2017, and a modified version passed the Senate in October 2017.

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