PRINTER'S NO. 464
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
87
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY LAWRENCE, BAKER, BARRAR, V. BROWN, CALTAGIRONE,
D. COSTA, GABLER, GILLEN, A. HARRIS, PHILLIPS-HILL, PICKETT,
READSHAW, WARD AND ZIMMERMAN, FEBRUARY 13, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, FEBRUARY 13, 2017
AN ACT
Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in child protective services, further
providing for volunteers having contact with children.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 6344.2(b.1) of Title 23 of the
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
ยง 6344.2. Volunteers having contact with children.
* * *
(b.1) Exception.--
(1) [A] Subject to paragraph (4), a person responsible
for the selection of volunteers under this chapter shall
require an applicable prospective volunteer prior to the
commencement of service to submit only the information under
section 6344(b)(1) and (2), if the following apply:
(i) The position the prospective volunteer is
applying for is unpaid.
(ii) The prospective volunteer has been a resident
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of this Commonwealth during the entirety of the previous
10-year period or, if not a resident of this Commonwealth
during the entirety of the previous 10-year period, has
received certification under section 6344(b)(3) at any
time since establishing residency in this Commonwealth
and provides a copy of the certification to the person
responsible for the selection of volunteers.
(iii) The prospective volunteer swears or affirms in
writing that the prospective volunteer is not
disqualified from service pursuant to section 6344(c) or
has not been convicted of an offense similar in nature to
those crimes listed in section 6344(c) under the laws or
former laws of the United States or one of its
territories or possessions, another state, the District
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a foreign
nation, or under a former law of this Commonwealth.
(2) If the information obtained pursuant to section
6344(b) reveals that the prospective volunteer applicant is
disqualified from service pursuant to section 6344(c), the
applicant shall not be approved for service.
(3) If all of the following apply, an individual shall
not be required to obtain the certifications required under
subsection (b):
(i) The individual is currently enrolled in a
school.
(ii) The individual is not a person responsible for
the child's welfare.
(iii) The individual is volunteering for an event
that occurs on school grounds.
(iv) The event is sponsored by the school in which
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the individual is enrolled as a student.
(v) The event is not for children who are in the
care of a child-care service.
(4) This paragraph relates to the development and use of
a volunteer card issued by the Commonwealth that is designed
to facilitate the process that allows an individual to serve
as a volunteer in a position described under subsection (a).
The following shall apply:
(i) An individual may use the procedures developed
under this paragraph if:
(A) All the factors under paragraph (1)(i), (ii)
and (iii) apply.
(B) A statement from the Pennsylvania State
Police under section 6344(b)(1) reveals that the
State Police central repository contains no criminal
history record information relating to the
individual.
(C) A certification from the department under
section 6344(b)(2) reveals that the individual is not
named in the Statewide database as the alleged
perpetrator in a pending child abuse investigation or
as the perpetrator of a founded report or an
indicated report.
(ii) If all the factors under subparagraph (i) apply
to an individual, the individual may request a volunteer
card under subparagraph (iii). The individual may present
a valid volunteer card to a person responsible for the
selection of volunteers under this chapter in lieu of
submitting the actual statement or certification
described under section 6344(b).
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(iii) The department shall develop procedures and
any necessary implementing regulations by which an
individual applying to serve as an unpaid volunteer under
this section may request a volunteer card indicating that
the individual has satisfied all the criteria under
subparagraph (i). The following apply:
(A) A volunteer card shall be made of plastic
and contain, at a minimum, the individual's
photograph, personal information of the individual as
determined by the department, an expiration date and
the words "Not for Identification Purposes."
(B) The department shall determine the cost to
an individual for a volunteer card, which shall not
be less than $25.
(C) The department shall coordinate with the
Department of Transportation where possible to
facilitate obtaining an individual's photograph for a
volunteer card.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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