Woodson Advances Legislation to Protect Children from Sexual Predators

Nashville, Tenn. – Senate Education Committee Chairman Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville) is moving legislation that will protect school children from sexual predators.   Senate Bill 2048 cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“This is a common sense approach that we can take to protect our children,” said Woodson.  “Our ultimate goal is to make Tennessee a safe haven for children.  This is a significant step in the right direction.”

The bill will require employers that contract with schools or child care centers to conduct background checks on all of their employees who have potential contact with children. If any employee is found to be registered sexual offender, he or she would be prohibited from working on school grounds or child care center property when children are present. 

The provisions of the bill will apply regardless of whether the employment was direct or through a subcontractor or subsidiary.  

The idea for the legislation came from Sandy Loy, President of Construction Plus, Inc., based in Knoxville.

“Mr. Loy has had a strong protection policy at Construction Plus since 2002,” continued Woodson.  “When he approached me with the idea, I was honored to sponsor the bill.  We have a law that prohibits convicted sexual offenders from living within a thousand feet of a school.  We need to close the loophole that allows these sexual offenders to work in our schools.”

The House companion bill also advanced on Tuesday.  The House K-12 Subcommittee recommended the bill for passage and sent the bill to the full Education Committee.

The Senate bill was referred to the Calendar Committee, and the full Senate will take action next week.

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