A bill to amend the Protect Act to clarify certain volunteer liability.
Public Law 108-68 · S. 1280 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Aug 1, 2003 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Joseph Biden
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Prosecutorial Remedies and Tools Against the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act) to limit the liability of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (or a director, officer, employee, or agent) for volunteers in connection with a pilot program for volunteer groups to obtain national and State criminal history background checks through a 10-fingerprint check to be conducted utilizing State criminal records and the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Provides that the Center, in reliance upon stated fitness criteria and except upon proof of actual malice or intentional misconduct, shall not be liable in any civil action for damages: (1) arising from any act or communication by the Center that results in or contributes to a decision that an individual is unfit to serve as a volunteer for any volunteer organization; (2) alleging harm arising from a decision based on the information in an individual's criminal history record that an individual is fit to serve as a volunteer for any volunteer organization unless the Center is furnished with an individual's criminal history records which they know to be inaccurate or incomplete, or which they know reflect a lesser crime than that for which the individual was arrested; and (3) alleging harm arising from a decision that, based on the absence of criminal history information, an individual is fit to serve as a volunteer for any volunteer organization unless the Center knows that criminal history records exist and have not been furnished as required by the Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Aug 1, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-68.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 23, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 21, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1280.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Sensenbrenner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 18, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Jul 15, 2003FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Jul 14, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 10, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 194.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Hatch with an amendment. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Jun 18, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.