Bill > S05257

This bill requires businesses that regularly provide instructional, recreational, or extracurricular services to minors, such as dance studios, martial arts academies, and tutoring centers, to conduct background checks on all employees and regular volunteers aged 18 and older who have direct responsibility for minors. These background checks, to be conducted at the time of hiring and every five years thereafter, will include searches of state and national sex offender registries. Individuals who refuse a background check, lie on the check, or are registered sex offenders will be disqualified from working or volunteering at these facilities, and registered sex offenders will be prohibited from owning or operating such businesses. The bill also outlines enforcement mechanisms, including civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and potential suspension or revocation of operating licenses.