The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would prevent registered sex offenders and criminals convicted of crimes against children from working in schools. By a vote of 314to 20, H.R. 6547, The Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act, passed with bipartisan support.

The legislation would, for the first time on a federal level, require public schools to conduct comprehensive background checks for any employee using state criminal and child abuse registries and the FBI's fingerprint database. It would also prohibit from hiring or retaining anyone who has been convicted of certain violent crimes, including crimes against children, crimes involving rape or sexual assault, and child pornography.