A South Florida Democrat is urging Congress to require stiffer background checks for hosts participating in international exchange programs.
Rep. Daisy Baez (D-Coral Gables) is filing her resolution is response to a local man who, despite prior convictions, hosted and seduced his guest student and her younger sister. The man, named Dale Leary, was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in the 1980s after breaking into her home.
He committed suicide before this new case went to trial.
The US State Department oversees high school exchange programs. Baez’s resolution calls on Congress to adopt stronger national standards for screening host families.
