Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have reintroduced a bill to establish a nationwide system of background checks to prevent people with criminal histories from working in long-term care settings.

The bill, the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, expands on a three-year pilot program that helped to prevent applicants with a criminal record from working in long-term care. A companion bill on background checks is being introduced in the House as well.

The background check bill calls for states to establish coordinated systems that include checks against abuse and neglect registries and a state police check. It also would require screening applicants against the FBI’s national database of criminal history records.

Contact your representatives in support of this legislation.