Posted: | May 20, 2015 09:47 AM |
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From: | Representative Katharine M. Watson |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Co-Sponsorship of Legislation - Clarification of 2013 - 2014 Changes to the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) |
I will soon introduce legislation that will clarify and make more explicit provisions in the statute enacted last session which requires employees and adult volunteers who work with children to obtain criminal background check clearances and child abuse clearances. In an effort to clear up ambiguous aspects of the statute and to address concerns expressed by numerous volunteer-based organizations and other entities from across the Commonwealth that are affected by the new law, staff from the House and Senate, together with the Department of Human Services, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Department of Education and the Administration have spent the last several months developing this amendatory legislation. The intent of this legislation is to more clearly define who is subject to the requirements, and, where possible, to make those requirements less onerous for adult volunteers who work with children. The objective is to strike a better balance between protecting children and not making the requirements for volunteers so onerous that the result is losing both volunteers and consequently programs that are beneficial to children. The key provisions in this legislation include:
While we cannot fix every complaint that members of the House have heard since the passage of the 2013-14 amendments, I do believe that we can (and should) address the vast majority of them. It is my intention to introduce this legislation in the very near future; and, shepherd the bill through the process to the Governor’s desk with alacrity. I urge you to add your name to the list of cosponsors. |
Introduced as HB1276