The New York State Senate passed a package of seven bills Monday aimed at increasing penalties and establishing tougher requirements for sex offenders. Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Klein, co-leader of the state Senate Majority Coalition and leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, would ban level 2 and level 3 sex offenders from being placed in homeless shelters or emergency and temporary housing if children are currently living in the facilities. The state Senate also passed measures to establish a crime if an individual knowingly harbors, houses or employs…
Read MoreDay: January 27, 2015
San Bernardino County to pare down sex-offender ordinance
Registered sex offenders in San Bernardino County will be able to move more freely within their communities after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved repealing restrictions on offender presence and movement in the county’s unincorporated areas. The gutting of the county’s 8-year-old sex offender ordinance would fulfill the terms of a legal settlement between the county and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci, reached in December. Full Article
Read MoreSex offenders: Tougher restrictions a necessity (Opinion)
West Virginia – Lawmakers in the state House of Delegates are to be applauded for their passage of a measure that would prohibit certain sex offenders from loitering within 1,000 feet of a school or childcare facility. House Bill 2025 cleared the legislative chamber by a unanimous vote last week. The bill now moves to the state Senate where its passage is critical. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreFL: State bills aim to monitor sex offenders for life
A new push has begun in the state Legislature to require convicted sex offenders to wear ankle monitors to track their movements for the rest of their lives. Two essentially identical bills, Senate Bill 134 and House Bill 203, aim to keep tabs on past offenders to make sure they don’t slip away so it becomes impossible to track them. But some experts said such laws would immediately be challenged in court. Full Article
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