HARRISBURG, June 10, 2015 – Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement today that he is waiving fees for child abuse clearances and criminal background checks for volunteers working with children is receiving state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione’s approval.

The Wolf administration announced the change this afternoon, and also said there will be a drop in the cost of child abuse and criminal history record checks for all other applicants. The new fee will be $8 instead of $10.

“This is a good response to a problem that was created under good intentions,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “The legislature changed the way we monitor, report and prosecute child abuse and neglect cases following the Jerry Sandusky saga, but we went a little too far in who should pay for those background checks.

“Gov. Wolf did the right thing today by dropping the fee for volunteers and reducing it by 20 percent for all others.”

Beginning July 1, volunteers are required by Act 153 of 2014 to obtain background checks, including the Department of Human Services’ child abuse history clearance, and the criminal history record check by state police.

If someone is seeking employment to work with children and others, they will still be charged for the clearances, but at a reduced cost of $8. People who are volunteering will not have to pay for the inquiry.

More information about clearances required under the Child Protective Services Law can be found at www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov. Individuals seeking clearances can visit www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis to create an account and electronically apply for their child abuse clearance.

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