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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6511
AN ACT REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR YOUTH
SPORTS COACHES, TRAINERS AND INSTRUCTORS.
SUMMARY
This bill requires certain municipalities, businesses, and nonprofit
organizations operating youth athletic activities (“operators”), starting
October 1, 2022, to require prospective employees who are age 18 or
older and applying for a position as coach, instructor, or athletic
trainer to submit to a comprehensive background check, including
state and national criminal history records checks and a check of the
state child abuse registry. It also requires employees in these positions
to submit to the same background checks at least once every five years.
The bill applies this requirement to youth athletic activities
organized for certain participants age 19 and under.
It exempts from the comprehensive background check requirement
applicants for coach, instructor, or athletic trainer positions who are
operators’ employees, certain former employees, or certain local or
regional board of education athletic coaches.
Under the bill, the required criminal history records check must be
conducted by (1) the State Police Bureau of Identification in accordance
with existing law (see BACKGROUND) or (2) a third-party provider of
criminal history records checks, including checks through a centralized
disciplinary database established by an independent national safe
sport organization.
The bill (1) requires the criminal history background checks to be
completed within five business days after the request is received by the
party conducting them and (2) generally allows prospective employees
to begin working on a provisional basis while the request is pending.
This work must always be supervised by an employee who was 2021HB-06511-R000166-BA.DOCX
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subjected to the comprehensive background check within the previous
five years.
It also specifies that it does not prohibit an operator from requiring
an applicant for a position as a coach, instructor, or athletic trainer to
submit to comprehensive background checks more often than once
every five years.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2021
EXEMPTIONS
The bill does not apply to applicants for a position as a coach,
instructor, or athletic trainer for a youth athletic activity who:
1. are employees of an operator of a youth athletic activity in the
state or have not been separated from employment as a coach,
instructor, or athletic trainer for more than 180 days and have
successfully completed the comprehensive background check in
the previous five years; or
2. are athletic coaches of intramural or interscholastic athletics
who are employed by a local or regional board of education,
provided the board satisfies the state and national criminal
history records checks requirements for board employees under
existing law.
DEFINITIONS
Operator
By law, an “operator” is any municipality, business, or nonprofit
organization that conducts, coordinates, organizes, or otherwise
oversees any youth athletic activity. It does not include any of these
entities, whether or not compensated, that solely provide access to, or
use of, a field, court, or other recreational area.
Youth Athletic Activity
Under existing law, a youth athletic activity is an organized athletic
activity involving participants who: 2021HB-06511-R000166-BA.DOCX
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1. (a) engage in, or practice or prepare for, an organized athletic
game or competition against another team, club, or entity or (b)
attend an organized athletic camp or clinic that trains, instructs,
or prepares these participants and
2. pay a fee to participate in such an organized athletic game or
competition or attend such a camp or clinic, or whose fee is
sponsored by a municipality, business, or nonprofit
organization.
It does not include any college or university athletic activity, or one
that is incidental to a nonathletic program or lesson.
Under current law, youth athletic activities participants are ages
seven through 19. The bill additionally applies its background check
provisions to youth athletic activities in which participants are under
age seven.
BACKGROUND
Criminal History Records Checks
By law, if a criminal history records check is required by state law, it
must be requested from the State Police Bureau of Identification and
must apply to the individual identified in the request. The requesting
party must arrange for the fingerprinting of the individual or for
conducting any other method of positive identification required by the
State Police Bureau of Identification and, if a national criminal history
records check is requested, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(CGS § 29-17a).
Related Bill
sHB 6417 (LCO 5023), favorably reported by the Children’s
Committee, requires licensed youth camp prospective employees who
are age 18 or older applying for positions that require the provision of
care to a child or involve unsupervised access to any child to submit to
comprehensive background checks, starting October 1, 2022.
COMMITTEE ACTION 2021HB-06511-R000166-BA.DOCX
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Committee on Children
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 13 Nay 0 (03/11/2021)