Legislation passed by the Michigan Senate in Lansing would require registered sex offenders to pay an annual fee to help maintain the state’s sex offender registry.
Senate Bill 221’s sponsor, state Sen. Rick Jones, said it is ready for the governor’s signature.
“These are people who committed crimes,” said Jones, R-Grand Ledge. “I do not believe that the hardworking taxpayers in Michigan should foot the bill for a registry of crimes they did not commit.”
In a news release on Thursday, Jones cited other states such as Indiana, which charges $50 per year for a similar registry, and Illinois and Ohio, which charge $100 per year. Full Article
UPDATE: Gov. Snyder signs bill for annual sex offender fee (Nov 5)
Seems like this won’t affect California at all because we don’t have SORNA?
I would simply not do it. Since the registry is run by the government then tax dollars pay for it. Being a tax payer I can not LOOK at the registry so I can therefore not utilize it even though my tax dollars are paying for it.
Why would I be required to pay for roads if I was not allowed to use them but everyone else was?
It is simply stupid and I rather pay a lawyer 100 years worth of registry fees before I give 1 dollar of it the government to abuse me!
This is unbelievable and I really have no words of my own……so I will just use the definitions:
FEE: An amount that is charged for services that are rendered or provided upon request.
Since these “People who committed crimes” aren’t the ones that ASKED for these services in the first place, this is the wrong word…..so I have a better one:
FINE: An amount charged due to a breach of terms, broken law, or PUNISHMENT.
So which is it you SoB politition? If you use the term FEE, then you shield be charging the ones that WANT the service. If you want to charge criminals, then you need to label it as a FINE.
Something tells me that if the public were to be the ones to pay for it (because they wanted the registry in the first place) that they would FINALLY start to question not only the effectiveness of the registry, but the legality. Nice try, but you can’t force an ex criminal to pay for something they don’t want for the rest of their lives. That’s unconstitutional……heh, it MUST be getting close to election time.
“Sex offenders can afford to pay a dollar or two per week to pay for the list,”.
Yes. With the high paying jobs we all have. Also, what happens if they can’t pay? Registry violation?
“Taxpayers should not have to be burdened with this cost.”
Wouldn’t mind being a taxpayer.
I concur with Janice.
Taxpayers pay for prisons? I pay taxes?
Public wants it. Public pays for it. Period.
all I have to say is “EARTH TO PERSON” after I finish rolling on the floor from laughing so had… Are thes People real? they are way to board…!!
Someday, hopefully within my lifetime, the Supreme Court will reach the unavoidable conclusion that the registry has become punishment. They will define what form of registration is permitted and that will replace SORNA. But it won’t happen just because we wish it to be so. We really need to organize and mobilize.
This is terrible because federal grants are suppose to pay for the costs of maintaining the registry. The problem is the registry has grown and expanded so much that now it can’t be afforded by the state. If this is allowed every state in the country will make ex offenders pay to maintain new laws that will spiral even more out of control than now.
The ACLU gets $100 million dollars a year and I marvel at how they don’t really see many of these new sex offender laws as a serious threat to civil rights in America. This is that slippery slope that will eventually affect every American in some way. Years ago a story was written about a man that gave $20 million a year to the ACLU and that made up 25% of the ACLU’s donations.
Sounds about as sensible as making people pay for their stay in prison. Since they are the ones who require guards, maintenance, and food; certainly the almighty taxpayer shouldn’t have to bear the burden of costs for programs they demand…aren’t people always up in arms that wherever a sex offender earns a living is unacceptable? I suppose this is just one more of those rights you give up when you had consensual sex with a high school girl when you were in college 30 years ago.
@Freebird1966
You gravely misunderstand the job of the politician.
The politician isn’t there to solve you problems….or my problems; they are there to solve THEIR problems.
Problem #1: Getting Elected.
Problem #2: Getting Re-Elected.
EVERYTHING ELSE is a distant third.
so who’s going to pay the court costs that will occur when i am dragged back to court because i can’t afford to pay the fee, i can’t work because i am diabled. when will they stop punishing me. for something that happened 20 years ago. when i had served my max sentence, of 15 years. how is it that they can keep making up laws to punish me again and again. i have been in the community for 6 years now and have not re-offended but yet i keep getting punished..a clear violation of double jeopardy of our constitution. way to go senators your doing a bad job of upholding our constitution!!!