Colorado lawmakers debate more oversight of coaches in youth sports leagues

At the state Capitol, Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would ensure people coaching youth sports leagues do not have a criminal background. On Tuesday, the state Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would require youth sports leagues to perform background checks every three years on all employees.

The background checks would also be conducted on regular volunteers who work directly with children or who travel with teams on overnight trips.

The bill also requires all paid coaches to be certified in CPR.

"So many of the kids across Colorado have excellent experiences in sports, whether it's with their jurisdictions like their cities or their counties, or organizations that provide the teams. We want to make sure all of those coaches are trained in CPR and have been background checked so that your kids, your neighbor's kids, your friends and your family, are all in a safe place when we put them in the trusted care of these coaches," said Senator Jessie Danielson, a Democrat representing Jefferson County.

The bill covers private and municipal sports organizations. Neighborhood youth organizations, K-12 schools and institutions of higher education are exempt from the bill's provisions.