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Senate advances bill to close do-not-hire loopholes, extend vetting to contractors
Summary
Senate lawmakers moved and passed a committee substitute aiming to close loopholes in educator misconduct reporting by expanding vetting and the 'do not hire' registry to contractors and other personnel in education settings.
The Senate took up and approved a committee substitute to Senate Bill 5 71 intended to strengthen reporting, investigation and vetting of misconduct involving children in educational settings. Sponsors said the bill closes loopholes that allowed some people who abused students to evade accountability by moving between employment categories.
Senator Bettencourt (sponsor) said the effort started with earlier laws including Senate Bill 7 (2017) and House Bill 3 (2019) and that recent reports identified a loophole excluding contractors from the do-not-hire registry. "Senate bill 5 71 ensures that everyone that has interaction with our children in an education setting are vetted," the sponsor said, describing the measure as an effort to stop what advocates call "pass the trash" where problematic educators move between schools or institutions.
The bill, as explained on the floor, expands registry coverage to include contractors, requires allegations be investigated and acted upon, and calls for consistent auditing and review of review systems. The sponsor said the measure applies to public and private schools and programs, including those under new educational savings programs, and that staff and contractors should be subject to consistent vetting and review.
On the floor the Senate suspended regular order, passed the bill to engrossment, suspended the three-day rule, and the roll-call recorded 30 ayes and 1 nay. The transcript indicates the measure moved through final passage procedures as recorded in the excerpt.
The transcript excerpt does not include the full statutory language, an enrolled bill text, or details on implementation timelines, administrative authority for audits, or resources for investigations.
