Bill would crack down on day care worker background checks

ATLANTA — The requirements for professionals who watch over children could get stricter.

A bill on its way to the governor's desk would require child care workers to pass a national fingerprint check.

Under current law, only the director of the day care must pass that federal background check. The new bill would require all day care employees to do the same.

It would cost about $50 and be up for renewal every five years, similar to the Georgia public school employee background checks. The national background check would search criminal records in all 50 states. If approved, Georgia will join the other 26 states that already have the law on the books. 

"We were doing name-only and state of Georgia-only (checks), and all our surrounding states already have this legislation in place. We, Georgia, was the path of least resistance. So, we were probably getting people from other states who wanted to work in these cities for less than honorable reasons," Hall County state Sen. Butch Miller told Channel 2's Lori Geary.

The bill includes some exceptions, including those who work in temporary settings, such as sports camps.
 
The bill is headed to the governor's desk for his signature.

WSBTV