What Is PA Act 15?
In October 2014, Governor Corbett signed PA Act 153 of 2014 into law. This legislation is designed to increase the safety of children by requiring specific background checks and child abuse clearances for all volunteers and employees who are responsible for children. This law impacts all organizations who serve youth and also includes strengthened mandatory reporting requirements for adult volunteers and employees. Act 153 was amended effective July 1, 2015 by the passing of PA Act 15 of 2015.
While the BSA has and will continue to conduct its own background checks, those checks are conducted through a third party provider and do not meet the specific provisions of the law. As a result, all volunteers will need to obtain additional background checks following the information outlined below.
It is the local council’s responsibility to ensure that all volunteers and employees partaking in and or administering their programs meet these requirements.