Hatch, Franken Introduce Child Protection Improvement (CPIA) Act of 2017

Statement

Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Al Franken (D-MN) issued the following statements after introducing the Hatch-Franken Child Protection Improvement (CPIA) Act of 2017, a bill that will allow organizations that provide care to vulnerable populations to have access to nationwide background checks of their employees, volunteers, and coaches. With Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) signing on as co-sponsors, there is growing bipartisan support for this commonsense proposal.

"I am committed to protecting children, the elderly, and people with disabilities from predators who would do them harm," Hatch said. "Our bill provides organizations with critical access to the nationwide FBI fingerprint background check system, allowing caretakers to more thoroughly vet prospective employees and volunteers. This is an important step in keeping children and the defenseless safe from violent criminals and sexual predators who would otherwise slip through the cracks."

"One of my top priorities is to protect the safety of our children," said Sen. Franken, a member of the Senate Education Committee. "And to help do that, we should give youth organizations that look after our kids the tools they need to make sure that their staff and volunteers are trustworthy. This bipartisan bill would improve child safety and help give parents confidence that their kids are in good hands."

Source