PA SB642

Establishes a three-tier classification system for child abuse reports in Pennsylvania's Statewide database: Tier I includes the most serious offenses (serious bodily injury, sexual abuse, child death, trafficking); Tier II covers moderate offenses (failure to act resulting in serious injury, medical symptom fabrication); Tier III addresses less severe cases (bodily injury not rising to serious level, reasonable likelihood of harm)

Creates two clearance levels for employment background checks: Clearance Level 1 for positions with direct responsibility for children's welfare (teachers, healthcare providers, camp counselors); Clearance Level 2 for positions with routine but indirect contact (administrative staff, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff)

Limits how long child abuse reports appear on employment clearances based on tier severity: Tier I reports remain indefinitely for Level 1 clearances and 15 years for Level 2; Tier II reports show for 10 years (Level 1) or 5 years (Level 2); Tier III reports show for 3 years (Level 1) and do not appear on Level 2 clearances

Prohibits employers from requiring certification clearance levels that exceed position requirements, and requires the department to notify applicants if they are not legally required to submit a certification for a particular position

Takes effect 60 days after enactment and applies to both new reports and existing reports in the Statewide database at the time a certification is requested