Provo lawmakers are proposing legislation to require “Youth Service Organizations” to do sex offender registry checks on volunteers and employees in an effort to protect youth who access these organizations.

The bill requires searches in both the national and Utah sex offender registries for any employee or volunteer who works with youth, including religious organizations.

It defines a”Youth Services Organization” as any “sports league, athletic association, church or religious organization, scouting organization, or similar formally organized association, league, or organization, that provides recreational, educational, cultural, or social programs or activities to 25 or more children.”

A registry check must be completed before a volunteer or employee is allowed to begin working with youth. If a person is registered on Utah’s Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry or the National Sex Offender Registry, they are prohibited from being employed or volunteering as a youth worker.

The legislation is being proposed by Sen. Keith Grover, R-Provo, and co-sponsored by Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo.

In last year’s session, Grover proposed a bill that would have required complete background checks for employees or volunteers who worked with youth, but that bill ultimately didn’t pass.

He told the Daily Herald that this bill isn’t as “aggressive” as his proposal last year but is a “step in that direction.”

“It’s not going to probably catch very many people,” he said. “But if it catches two or three and keeps them from being in front of our youth, then for me, that’s worth it.” He added that it’s something that “we should be doing anyway.”

Grover’s bill has already passed through the Senate unanimously, with it now moving forward in the House. The bill was heard in a House committee Monday, where it passed unanimously.

It received support from Rabbi Avremi Zippel, representing the Utah Crime Victims Council, who said that searching for someone in the sex offender registry takes a “matter of seconds.”

“It’s extremely straightforward,” he said. “It’s extremely simple. And it’s, you know, something which we should all be doing.”

The legislation also received support during committee from United Way of Salt Lake and the Victim Services Commission.

Youth service workers also would be required to undergo training regarding child abuse and neglect identification and reporting.

The training would include policies ensuring that sex offender registry checks are conducted and policies regarding reporting suspected abuse in compliance with Utah law. Grover said the training is simple and would teach an organization’s current employees how to search the national and state sex and kidnap offender registries and inform them of reporting expectations.

During committee, Layton Rep. Trevor Lee questioned Grover on the feasibility of the requirements for very large organizations — implying he was referencing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — to do these checks.

Grover responded, saying it takes “20 to 30 seconds” to type a person’s name into the databases and the training will provide instructions for individuals on how to search a registry.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints requires anyone who is assigned to work with children or youth to undergo training related to identifying and preventing child abuse. According to the church’s website, training must be completed within a month of a person being assigned.

In a statement to the Daily Herald, church spokesperson Sam Penrod said the religious organization supports the legislation.

“Protecting and caring for others, especially children, is a priority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said in an email. “As currently proposed, the Church is supportive of Senate Bill 158 becoming law in Utah.”

Grover said he hasn’t received opposition regarding the legislation, adding that most religious organizations in Utah are “aware” of the bill.

Lastly, the bill provides a path for lawsuits against an organization if an organization is found negligent in checking sex offender registries or allowing a registered sex offender to work as a youth volunteer or employee and the negligence leads to a child being sexually abused.

Last week, a Utah House committee approved a bill that would protect clergy from civil or criminal penalties for reporting child abuse that was disclosed to them during a religious confession, Deseret News reported.

In most cases, Utah requires adults to report child abuse or neglect, but state law provides an exemption for clergy when learning about abuse through a confidential religious confession.

While that legislation, which is sponsored by Kearns Rep. Anthony Loubet and Spanish Fork Sen. Mike McKell, doesn’t remove the exemption, it does clarify that clergy may voluntarily make a report.

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