Jun. 11, 2015
HARRISBURG – Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) released the following statement after the House unanimously voted to endorse an amendment, introduced by Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams), that would waive the fees that volunteers must pay for background checks. The two fees are associated with Act 153, the child protection laws that were signed into law last year. The amendment waiving the fees was added to
House Bill 1276, which the House is expected to consider on final passage next week.
The fees include the $10 for the child abuse clearance from the Department of Human Services and the $10 state police criminal background check.
“The Legislature felt that it was necessary to eliminate the fees for volunteers’ background checks after hearing from volunteers about how this added cost was making it harder for them to participate in youth activities,” Heffley said. “My office has received a number of complaints from volunteer organizations and parents about the unintended consequences associated with the child protection laws included in Act 153. Ultimately, these laws were passed to ensure that our children are protected. This amendment is an important step toward fixing one of the unintended consequences brought about as a result of the changes implemented under Act 153.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues next week to pass House Bill 1276, which includes a number of other fixes that would help to ensure that the child protection laws achieve their intended purpose of protecting our kids in a manner that is not prohibitively costly to our valued volunteers, while clearing up other uncertainties in the law that have led to confusion,” Heffley added.
House Bill 1276 intends to more clearly define who is subject to the requirements enacted under Act 153 and, where possible, 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.
Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jonathan Anzur
717.260-6610
janzur@pahousegop.com
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