WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey wants some answers.

“It’s very hard for me to understand how or why this has not already been on the Senate floor, passed, (and) signed into law,” Toomey said at a recent press conference called to draw attention to educator sexual misconduct of students.

Last year, legislation to expand background checks for all school employees and ban those with a violent or sex-related criminal history from working with students passed the U.S. House unanimously. But the same legislation, introduced by Toomey in the Senate, has languished in committee after teachers union officials voiced objections to the House bill.

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The bill would also prohibit the practice known in the education world as “passing the trash,” in which school and union officials conspire to secure letters of recommendation for accused child molesters in exchange for their resignation.

In many, many cases educators who were secretly ushered out of one district repeat their heinous behavior when they regain employment in another.

“I, like so many other parents and grandparents care very very deeply about this,” Toomey said at the Tuesday press conference, according to Statesman.com. “I’m not going to stop until this legislation passes.”

The Associated Press reported in October that “the bill has run into objections from major teachers’ unions like the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. In letters to lawmakers, their criticisms included concerns that the measure might jeopardize workers’ protections under union contracts.”

The NEA is also reportedly concerned that because minorities make up a disproportionately high percentage of criminals, they’d be disproportionately impacted by the bill.

The most reliable estimate shows as many as one in 10 students are sexually abused by a school employee some time during their K-12 education. Toomey’s people have tracked 325 teachers across the country who have been arrested for sexually abusing student this year alone – well over one per day.

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“Every single story is a tragedy,” Toomey said. “And every day that goes by, another teacher is arrested. How many children are being victimized?”

Toomey’s press conference highlighted a Tuesday rally in D.C. aimed at bringing attention to the Senate’s lack of action on the Toomey-Manchin Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act.

The effort was supported by several organizations including Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct & Exploitation, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, PA Partnerships for Children, Child Advocacy Centers, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and others.