Background checks expand to contractors and volunteers working with children
S. 1528 — CHILD Act of 2025 · Filed by Richard Durbin (D-IL) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 30, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill amends the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to expand who can be subject to background checks when working with children. It allows businesses and organizations serving vulnerable populations to request background checks not only for their direct employees, but also for contractors, volunteers, and individuals they license or certify to provide care—closing gaps where people working with children could previously avoid screening.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to expand the definition of 'covered individual' under the National Child Protection Act to include contractors, volunteers, and licensed/certified providers—a straightforward extension of background-check authority to close gaps in child protection vetting.
What the text implies
- Organizations may face increased administrative burden and cost to conduct background checks on a broader population, potentially raising compliance costs for childcare providers, schools, and youth-serving nonprofits.
- The bill does not specify funding or resources for background-check processing, leaving implementation costs to fall on covered entities.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
background check service providers; criminal records database vendors