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Panel backs bill barring registered *** offenders from volunteer fire departments after chiefs cite public-trust concerns
Summary
SB207 would prohibit people required to register as *** offenders from serving or volunteering with volunteer fire departments; chiefs and offender managers argued the law would give departments legal authority to refuse volunteers, while advocacy witnesses warned the ban would punish many rehabilitated people.
Senator Irvin presented SB207 as a bill driven by volunteer fire departments and *** offender managers who expressed concern about public trust when registered offenders serve on rural volunteer departments. "People regard firefighters with a sense of safety and security," said Penny Prickett, the *** offender coordinator for the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, arguing that offenders working at open houses or entering homes for medical calls could put families at risk.
Paul Newell, introduced as the president of the…
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