This bill establishes the Youth Serving Organization Central Registry, which will serve as a centralized system for conducting and disseminating criminal history record background checks for employees and volunteers of youth serving organizations. The bill amends existing law to define a youth serving organization as any sports team, league, athletic association, or similar entity that provides activities or services for individuals under 18 years of age, excluding public and nonpublic schools. To participate in the central registry, organizations must register with the Department of Law and Public Safety and pay a registration fee. The central registry will request background checks from the State Bureau of Identification, which will only be conducted with the written consent of the individual being checked.

Additionally, the bill mandates that each current employee or volunteer undergo a background check at least once every two years, and it retains the existing disqualification criteria for individuals with certain criminal convictions. The central registry will maintain records of the qualification status of employees and volunteers, allowing organizations to verify this status through a secure website or by phone. The Attorney General is tasked with adopting regulations to ensure uniform disqualification criteria and to govern the access and dissemination of information obtained from these background checks.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 15A:3A-1, 15A:3A-2, 15A:3A-3, 15A:3A-4, 15A:3A-5