Colo. lawmakers introduce volunteer background checking bill — again

In March, we shared that Colorado lawmakers had voted to kill a bill that would protect children involved in youth sports organizations from child predators. The bill sponsors said that employees, coaches and volunteers associated with extracurricular youth sports groups should have to undergo background checks, but the bill was rejected because the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee didn’t think it would do enough to deter sexual predators. Now, less than three months later, Colorado lawmaker Rep. Jonathan Singer has sponsored a very similar bill, requiring background checks for individuals who volunteer with youth sports groups for more than five days per month. This time, the bill was introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives. “When my constituents came to me with this idea for a bill, I thought we had already done this,” said Rep. Singer. Thus far, there has not been any dissention in the House regarding the bill. In the state, only the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association requires background checks and provides education to parents and employees about sexual harassment and abuse. Should this bill pass this time around, Colorado would be the first state with youth sports background-check laws on its books.]]>