Virginia Senator to Bring Back Expanded Background Check Bill

“It’s coming back,” said Virginia Senator Joe Manchin Tuesday about his bipartisan bill to expand background checks on gun sales, a bill which failed to pass on its first run through the Senate last month. [more]

HOUSTON - Members of the National Rifle Association were assured that they would never have to surrender their firearms. Along with this statement they were told that the fight against government gun control is far [more]

Senate Rejects Expanded Gun Background Checks

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans backed by a small band of rural-state Democrats scuttled the most far-reaching gun control legislation in two decades Wednesday, rejecting tighter background checks for buyers and a ban on assault weapons [more]

Day of Reckoning for Expanded Background Checks

D-Day: Today, consideration of the Manchin-Toomey background check proposal and a myriad other gun amendments, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity clips, will be the main event on Capitol Hill. The outcome of [more]

Deal Reached on Gun Background Check Bill

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. announced that they have reached a compromise bill on Wednesday that expands background checks on gun purchases, and possibly paving the way for votes [more]

Both Gun Control Parties Make Public Appeal

WASHINGTON — Two of the loudest voices in the gun debate say it’s up to voters now to make their position known to Congress. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and National Rifle Associate Executive Vice President [more]

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PA School Background Check Challenged

School Background Check

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A recently renewed Pennsylvania law is now being challenged by school employees who has had some past run-ins with the law, and specially those who has had a criminal records. The new law states that any current school and educational facility employees must submit any arrests or convictions of serious crimes in their past and any future arrest or pending convictions within three days.

Some of the affected employees are now fighting to keep their current employments in light of the recent law. Currently, there are at least four lawsuits filed challenging the State Department of Education’s new rules for school employees. The State Department of Education has directed school administrators to terminate employees coming in contact with children who have been convicted of any of the 28 listed offenses including kidnapping, homicide, and sexual assault among others. This applies to teachers, administrators, school staff as well as contractors.

Lawsuits filed in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware and York counties take issue with the department’s interpretation that anyone convicted of the listed offenses should be barred from employment in a public or private school. The school employees argue that the wording of the law suggests that it applies only to future employees.

The employees also argue that even if the courts decide that the law applies to current employees, it is unconstitutional, violating the due process rights of employees through its retroactive application and penalizing them for crimes for which they were already punished.