Congressman Henry Cuellar Fights to Keep Predators out of Schools

CONGRESSMAN HENRY CUELLAR FIGHTS TO KEEP PREDATORS OUT OF SCHOOLS

Congressman Henry Cuellar voted today to grant states and local governments the authority to request background checks of individuals employed in public and private educational institutions. HR 4894 provides all states access to national criminal databases for the purpose of conducting thorough background checks on all individuals employed by, under consideration for employment by, or volunteering for, a private or public school, local educational agency, or state educational agency.

The bill also includes provisions for protecting the information gathered through the background check, and provides strict criminal penalties for any individual that knowingly releases such information.

Congressman Cuellar noted, "This bill gives local and state authorities the tools they need to keep our schools free of predators. As a father and as a legislator, I will always support measures that keep our children safe. This bill goes a long way in protecting our children in school. It is necessary to extend these existing law enforcement tools to educators in order to achieve an optimum level of security for our youth."

Congressman Cuellar is a long time advocate of legislative initiatives which work to eliminate the victimization of children. During his first year in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Henry Cuellar also passed an amendment to HR 3132, the Children's Safety Act of 2005, which require state criminal penalties for failure to comply with sexual predator registry requirements be a minimum term of imprisonment of no less than 90 days.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Budget and Agriculture committees in the 109th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care and economic development are his priorities.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx28_cuellar/060613d.html