The Florida State Senate has passed a bill mandating that all candidates to coach in youth sports groups will be mandated to undergo background checks. The new legislation (SB 15)) has moved to the house where there is a similar bill in play.
The bill calls for sanctioning sports authorities in the State of Florida to screen coaches for any criminal records and for clearance on the sexual registry. These are sites maintained by the Florida Department of Registry and the U.S. Justice Department.
The sanctioning parties have the option of having these background checks outsourced to third party background screening vendors as well. Anyone listed on the sexual offenders registry would be barred from coaching.
In all, this is a proactive move that makes it far more difficult for sexual predators to gain proximity to minors. This will go a long way in keeping Florida from being one more state where its sports organizations make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Since most sports organizations are well intended with reputable people enabling young people to engage in sports, it is always a pity when a sexual violator damages the reputation of any given organization.
We are glad to see this bill moving forward.
