McEntee bill on background checks passes House
Rep. Carol Hagan
McEntee’s (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett) legislation (2017-H
5733A) that would require all court-appointed special advocate (CASA)
volunteers to pass a Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
clearance, as well as a national criminal background check before qualifying
for appointment by the court passed the House of Representatives.
“Abused and neglected
children before the family court have already suffered so much, so we must
ensure that the people the court assigns to protect these children are morally
upstanding and have the child’s best intentions at heart. This
legislation adds a further layer of protection for abused children who have
already experienced so much hardship within their short lives,” said
Representative McEntee.
If the background check is cleared, the family court will maintain a record
that the background check was cleared, but, DCYF must promptly destroy the
fingerprint record of the CASA volunteer.
Once cleared by DCYF, the CASA
applicant must participate in a program of training offered by the CASA office.
Cosponsors of the
legislation are House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23,
Warwick), Rep. Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren), Rep. Daniel P.
McKiernan (D-Dist. 7, Providence), and Rep. Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North
Kingstown).
The legislation now
heads to the Senate for consideration.