[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 15 (Tuesday, February 2, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H442-H443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECKS PILOT EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (S. 2950) to extend the pilot program for volunteer 
groups to obtain criminal history background checks.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 2950

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Criminal History Background 
     Checks Pilot Extension Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF PILOT PROGRAM.

       Section 108(a)(3)(A) of the PROTECT Act (42 U.S.C. 5119a 
     note) is amended by striking ``a 78-month'' and inserting ``a 
     92-month''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Johnson) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all

[[Page H443]]

Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 2950, the Criminal History Background Checks Pilot 
Extension Act of 2009, will extend the national Child Safety Pilot 
Program for another 14 months. Passed in 2003 as part of the PROTECT 
Act, the national Child Safety Pilot Program assists organizations in 
checking the criminal records of volunteers before placing them as 
mentors with our children. Every year, millions of Americans generously 
give their time and energy to volunteer and mentor children throughout 
the country. While the vast majority of these volunteers act out of 
purely benevolent intentions, it is important that we are able to 
identify those who may seek to do harm.
  Since 2003, the national Child Safety Pilot Program has enabled 
youth-serving organizations to work with the State governments to 
access the FBI's national fingerprint-based background checks system. 
By providing access to the more comprehensive data in the FBI's 
database, the pilot program has helped prevent child predators and sex 
offenders from getting access to children through legitimate mentoring 
programs. Notably, 6 percent of checks came back with serious criminal 
records.
  This is a noncontroversial, fee-based program that we have authorized 
twice before, Mr. Speaker. It's been extremely successful in providing 
invaluable information to mentoring organizations, and it's at no cost 
to the taxpayers. Now we hope that this 14-month extension will give us 
more time to work with the Department of Justice on permanently 
authorizing this program.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The Child Safety Pilot Program, originally created in 2003 as part of 
the PROTECT Act, has proven to be a valuable resource for groups that 
work with children, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the 
National Mentoring Partnership, and the National Council of Youth 
Sports. Using this pilot program, nonprofit organizations that provide 
youth-focused care, as defined in the National Child Protection Act of 
1993, may request criminal history background checks from the FBI on 
applicants for volunteer or employee positions that involve working 
with children.
  Currently, nearly 68,000 background checks have been administered 
through the Child Safety Pilot Program. Of those checks, over 6 percent 
of all workers screened had criminal records of concern, including 
serious crimes such as murder, rape, and child assault cases. More than 
41 percent of applicants with a criminal record committed crimes in 
other States other than the one in which they were applying to work as 
a volunteer. Only a nationwide check, such as the Child Safety Pilot 
Program, could have provided this information to employers.
  A nationwide check is vital to these organization since many of these 
applicants are looking for work in other States specifically to escape 
their criminal pasts. That's why I support S. 2950, the Criminal 
History Background Checks Pilot Extension Act of 2009, which extends 
this program for 14 more months.
  Unfortunately, organizations that work with children are often the 
targets of those with criminal backgrounds and less than honest 
intentions. We need to equip these organizations so they can spot 
individuals with criminal records before it's too late, allowing them 
to only hire professional and responsible people. S. 2950 extends the 
Child Safety Pilot Program that has successfully helped these groups 
and their missions to provide a safe learning environment for children. 
This is a commonsense piece of legislation that should enjoy widespread 
support, so I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
legislation.
  I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 2950.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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