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Committee advances bill requiring fingerprint background checks for adults with unsupervised student contact
Summary
House Bill 745 would require fingerprint-based national criminal background checks for any person who may have unsupervised contact with public-school students, sponsor Rep. Eric Tillman told the committee.
Representative Eric Tillman introduced House Bill 745 to the Education Committee as a measure “to strengthen student safety” by requiring school districts to adopt and enforce a student protection policy that mandates fingerprint-based national criminal background checks for any person who may have unsupervised contact with students.
Susie Hedalen, superintendent for the Office of Public Instruction, testified in strong support and said many districts already require fingerprint checks but noted that current law requires checks in rule, not statute, and that the bill would close inconsistencies and loopholes for volunteers, chaperones and others with unsupervised access. Hedalen said the bill would require corrective action plans from trustees when districts fail to comply.
Rob Watson of the Coalition of Advocates for Montana’s Public Schools and Deborah Silk of the Montana School Boards Association also supported the bill, telling the committee that model policies encourage fingerprint checks and that a fingerprint check is preferred for its nationwide coverage. Silk described the federal Volunteers for Children Act (1994) as the federal basis for many district policies and said most Montana districts already perform criminal background checks for employees and volunteers with unsupervised access.
Committee members asked about operational issues: turnaround times for fingerprint results, whether name-based checks are ever used in the interim, fiscal impact on small districts and whether charter and private schools would be covered. Witnesses said the fingerprint check—FBI-based—gives nationwide coverage, that turnaround has improved (commonly 10 days to two weeks) but that delays can occur, and that most districts already comply; a fiscal note was expected.
The committee approved the bill in executive action and moved HB 745 to the House floor; the transcript records the committee vote as a favorable voice vote and the bill was forwarded for further consideration.
