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FL Lawmaker Calls For Stronger Screening In International Exchange Programs

Rep. Daisy Baez (D-Coral Gables)
Florida House of Representatives

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.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.