Katie Porter: “I thank the chairman and include my statement for the Record: I want to thank the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee…”

“I thank the chairman and include my statement for the Record: I want to thank the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Sensenbrenner, for bringing this bill to the House today. It is an important bill that will help protect children and our community's safety. One section of this package includes H.R. 4894, legislation I introduced, that will provide our school districts with another tool in their extraordinary efforts to bring highly qualified staff to our classrooms and schools. By providing our school districts with direct access to criminal information records, we can help ensure timely and complete information on prospective school employees. This provision will allow local and state educational agencies to access national criminal information databases and will ensure that schools have the information they need when hiring teachers entrusted with our children and our classrooms. Teachers are unparalleled in the role they play in children's lives. Most teachers uphold the highest standards of conduct, and they deserve the trust they have earned in educating our children. However, particularly in rapidly-growing communities, a lack of good information may leave schools vulnerable and could endanger our students. This is a common sense opportunity to give states and local schools the tools they need to ensure safety in our schools. This package also includes legislation I introduced, H.R. 4732, The Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Act of 2006.…”