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Click here for a fact sheet on the bill “The recent and tragic
deaths of Jessica Marie Lunsford and Sarah Michelle Lunde point to an
urgent need to reform laws dealing with sex offenders,” said
Congressman Davis. “The
Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act supports parents and
safeguards our children by closing the loopholes in sex offender laws,
setting minimum standards for registration and notification and fully
coordinating local, state and federal law enforcement efforts.”
The legislation is the first comprehensive sex offender bill to overhaul the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, Megan’s Law and the Pam Lychner Sex Offender Tracking and Identification Act and establish new registration and notification requirements for states, the federal government and sex offenders. Specifically, the bill places new, stringent requirements on sex offenders. For example, under the bill, sex offenders must register prior to their release from prison, update their registry in person twice a year, provide annual photographs and fingerprints and make any updates to their registry within three days after a change of address, employment, etc. First-time sex offenders would be subject to registry requirements for 20 years and second offenders and sexually violent offenders would be subject for the rest of their lives. Failure to meet all requirements would result in a federal felony. The legislation also requires states and the federal government to do a better job of tracking sex offenders and making sex offender information more readily available to families. Under the bill, states would maintain a multi-field, searchable sex offender registry. The federal government would send out an immediate electronic notification of a sex offender’s intent to relocate to a new state and would establish a new sex offender DNA database. In addition, the bill directs the federal government to assist states in improving their sex offender registries and notification systems. In Tampa, Rhonda Schaneville, a mother of two and a local advocate for children’s safety education, said, “As a parent, I am very encouraged to see legislation being introduced that comprehensively addresses sex crimes, particularly against children, and which will close the many loopholes that have been brought to light with the recent murders of Jessica Lunsford and Sarah Lunde. I feel that this bill is a huge step toward making the safety of our children priority one. I am very grateful to Congressman Davis and his office for having taken the time to make the safety of our children their priority.” Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), gave the bill a ringing endorsement, saying, “Today there are more than a half million sex offenders that are “supposed” to be registered; however at least 100,000 of these offenders are actually ‘missing’ from the system. This new legislation will help build a more comprehensive system for tracking sex offenders and protect our nation’s children.” John Walsh,
host of “ The Sex
Offender Registration and Notification Act has been endorsed by:
Click
here for a fact sheet on the bill
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