Sponsors (4)
The bill expands and clarifies who must undergo background checks—improving safety for children and other vulnerable people and reducing hiring risks for institutions—at the cost of higher compliance burdens, potential delays, privacy risks, and possible reduced participation by small vendors and applicants.
Children, youth, patients, and other vulnerable people will face lower risk of contact with disqualified adults because expanded background checks cover more adults who work with qualified entities (including contractors, volunteers, and licensed/certified personnel).
Schools, nonprofits, universities, and other qualified entities will reduce their risk of hiring or contracting with individuals who have disqualifying histories, improving overall safety and trust in these institutions.
Clarifying and expanding statutory language gives government agencies clearer authority to conduct background checks, which should improve consistency and enforceability of checks across local and state programs.
Schools, nonprofits, local governments, and contractors will face higher administrative and compliance costs and may experience slower hiring, contracting, and certification processes due to more extensive background checks.
More people (contractors, volunteers, license applicants, employees) will have sensitive background data collected and used more broadly, increasing privacy risks and potential impacts on civil liberties.
Smaller vendors, sole proprietors, and small businesses may be deterred from contracting because of the added compliance burden, reducing competition and potentially raising costs for organizations seeking services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expands who is a “covered individual” for federal child-protection background checks to include workers/volunteers tied to contracted entities and license/certification applicants.
Expands who counts as a “covered individual” for federal child-protection background checks by adding people who work for or volunteer with entities that are under contract with a qualified entity, and by adding people who are licensed, certified, or seeking licensure/certification from a qualified entity. The change broadens statutory reach to include contractors, subcontractors, volunteers tied to contracted entities, and license/certification applicants in the background-check system.
Introduced April 30, 2025 by Richard Joseph Durbin · Last progress April 22, 2026