William Scott Sanford (born October 3, 1957) is an American minister and politician. He has represented the 70th District in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

since 2013. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Sanford also serves as the executive pastor for stewardship and operations of the Cottonwood Creek Church in

Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb of Dallas. According to the 2020 U.S. census its population was 104,627, up from 84,246 in 2010. Allen is located approximately twenty miles (32.2 km) north ...

Tenure

Sanford sponsored and introduced a House bill that would protect churches from litigation arising from their reporting of sexual abuse by those who would otherwise possibly be employed by churches and similar organizations. Sanford, who also serves as the executive pastor at the multi-campus Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, recently filed a bill to give immunity from civil liability to churches or other non-profits that in good faith report allegations of prior sexual abuse to an individual's current or prospective employer. "Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy," Sanford said. His bill established protections for reporting, to enable victims to come forward and facilitate the ability of charitable organizations to end the silence that has enhanced the ability of predators to move between such organizations. In February 2019, the

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

and the

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

documented 380

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

church leaders and volunteers accused of sexual misconduct in the prior two decades and more than 700 victims of such abuse."Proposed Texas bill would shield churches that report sexual abuse from lawsuits
''Baptist News''. Bob Allen, April 2, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2021. The bill was signed into law.

References

External links

Campaign website

State legislative page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Scott 1963 births Living people Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians Baylor University alumni People from McKinney, Texas American accountants Ernst & Young people