Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on June 16, 2005, to require all schools to perform criminal background checks on all current and prosepctive employees, and prohibit persons convicted of certain sex offenses or other serious felonies from being allowed to work in schools

The vote was 35 in favor, 0 opposed and 3 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 335 at Senate Journal 64)

Click here to view bill details.

Senator Clark-Coleman asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Clark-Coleman's statement is as follows: Colleagues here in the State Senate, I intend to support this package of bills that was reported from the Education Committee because I believe that we ought to do all we can to protect our children from sexual predators. At the same time, I cannot forget the compelling testimony we heard in committee about the difficulties experienced by some people who are on the sex offender registry for adjudication of crimes that may not rise to the level of heinous offenses. I know that the chairman of the Judiciary Committee has heard similar testimony, and I hope that he will continue to examine this issue so that appropriate changes can be made to the law. I do not--and I stress it--I do not want to put children at risk, but I also do not want to ruin lives because of consensual acts committed by young people. This should not follow them for the rest of their lives.