NYS Senator Eric Adams joined his colleagues in the Senate Majority Conference to announce a major victory in the battle to protect New York’s children: a law to require sex offender screening and abuse screening for jobs that entail working with children.

 NYS Senator Eric Adams states: “Passage in the Senate of S6998A will help prevent the hiring of registered sex offenders and individuals guilty of child abuse for jobs entailing time spent around children.

 “Hiring policies utilized by public schools already include background checks to ensure this security for children, but other organizations currently do not practice similar diligence. This bill will prevent anyone on either the New York State Sex Offender Registry or the Statewide Central Registry of Child Abuse and Maltreatment from gaining employment in a situation that may place a child at risk.

 “Our primary objective must be to keep our children safe from dangerous predators. This legislation keeps known offenders from interacting with children, reducing the risk of creating new abuse victims.”

 “Extending the background check requirement to other child-oriented fields benefits the entire community and gives parents the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that their children are safer.

 “Our progeny are our most precious possession and their safe custody our most earnest duty. S6998A is one instrument in an arsenal that attempts to increase the security of our families. This bill passed the Senate unanimously, and I urge the Assembly to pass it too.”

For more information about the Sex Offender Registry: http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/nsor/

For more information about the Registry of Child Abuse: http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/cps/