NEW LAW FIXES MANY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AFTER INITIAL PASSAGE

Tallahassee - Governor Charlie Crist, with Senator Nancy Argenziano and members of Associated Builders and Contractors watching on, signed the Jessica Lunsford Reform Act (SB 988) Wednesday morning (June 20^th, 2007), the culmination of two years of hearings, input and hard work to improve the legislation.

Passed in 2005, The Jessica Lunsford Act required school contractors (construction, vendors, delivery, etc.) to submit to a fingerprint based "level 2" background screening. The original legislation caused untold difficulties and increased costs for school districts, taxpayers and local communities. Multiple screenings where required in each district a contractor worked, local interpretation of "moral turpitude" resulted in an inconsistent application of the law, contractors with absolutely no contact with students were required to undergo the background screening, and a requirement to resubmit to the process annually all created significant barriers of compliance.

The new legislation, in addition to requiring a designated marking on Florida driver licenses issued to convicted sexual predators or offenders, does the following:

• Contractors whose school construction sites are separated by a six (6) foot chain link fence or on sites where students are not permitted or present, will be EXEMPT from the provisions of the Jessica Lunsford Act.
• Contractors who must still comply with the provisions of the act may only be required to screen their employees once, state-wide (not for each individual school district), every five (5) years.
• Employees subject to screening may no longer be denied access to school grounds for a school districts individual interpretation of "moral turpitude" but only for violating specific offenses (sexual offenses, murder, terrorism and kidnapping).

Associated Builders and Contractors led the effort to improve the Jessica Lunsford Act, as evident by our presence at the signing ceremony, and we wish to thank Governor Crist and especially former Senator Nancy Argenziano for her efforts to improve this legislation.