An Act amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in child protective services, further providing for employees having contact with children and adoptive and foster parents.

PRINTER'S NO. 1394
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1143
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY FONTANA, STEFANO, COSTA, VOGEL, J. WARD AND
ROBINSON, JANUARY 20, 2026
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, JANUARY 20, 2026
AN ACT
Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in child protective services, further
providing for employees having contact with children and
adoptive and foster parents.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 6344(c)(4) of Title 23 of the
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
§ 6344. Employees having contact with children; adoptive and
foster parents.
* * *
(c) Grounds for denying employment or participation in
program, activity or service.--
* * *
(4) In addition to paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), in no
case shall an employer, administrator, supervisor or other
person responsible for employment decisions or involved in
the selection of volunteers [at a child day-care center,
group day-care home or family child-care home] hire or
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approve an applicant under any of the following
circumstances:
(i) The applicant's criminal history record
information indicates the applicant has been convicted of
any of the following:
(A) One or more of the following offenses under
Title 18 or an equivalent crime under Federal law or
the law of another state:
A felony offense under section 2718 (relating to
strangulation).
A felony offense under section 3301 (relating to
arson and related offenses).
(B) An offense under 18 U.S.C. § 2261 (relating
to interstate domestic violence) or 2262 (relating to
interstate violation of protection order).
(ii) The applicant's name appears on the National
Crime Information Center National Sex Offender Registry
or on a state's sex offender registry.
(iii) The applicant's name appears on a Statewide
database or its equivalent as a perpetrator of child
abuse.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20260SB1143PN1394 - 2 -
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