HARRISBURG — A bill seeking to deliver a legislative fix to Megan’s Law for sexual assault offenders was positioned for a Senate floor vote after a key senator gave a green light Monday.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, repeated his strong objections to the House-passed legislation, House Bill 1952, at the start of a two-hour hearing Monday morning on the Judiciary Committee, which Greenleaf chairs.
The Senate later voted to amend the provisions of HB1952 into House Bill 631, another House-passed bill dealing with probation for a category of sex offenders.
Greenleaf said he decided to move the legislation and vote for it after getting assurances during the hearing from Pennsylvania State Police officials, who said they would provide recommendations for improving Megan’s Law.
Greenleaf wants to address issues beyond the scope of HB1952, which was introduced in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer in the Jose Muniz case. The court ruled in favor of Muniz, convicted of two counts of indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl.
Greenleaf called attention to the need to focus on the most dangerous sex offenders and better manage an offenders registry that has expanded greatly since Megan’s Law was first enacted in 1995.
Sue, sue and sue again. If they don’t adhere to the 6th’s circuit ruling, fry em Janice. You’re the only one who can.
These idiots have lost their minds. Fighting for a non-existent issue. “Let’s pathetically try to come up with another way to enslave American Citizens.” These people passing these laws are misguided, and vengeful morons.
Oh. So now everyone on the registry is a “sexual assault offender”? Guess they’re trying to keep the hype up on the backs of the #MeToo movement.
B y the looks of things anyone who is an out of state offender pre SORNA will get less than life reg
A.1) EXCEPTION TO 10-YEAR REGISTRATION.–EXCEPT AS PROVIDED UNDER SUBSECTION (B), AN INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERED TO BE AN OFFENDER UNDER SECTION 9799.56(B) (RELATING TO REGISTRATION PROCEDURES AND APPLICABILITY) SHALL BE REQUIRED TO REGISTER WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE FOR A PERIOD LESS THAN LIFE, THE DURATION OF WHICH IS TO BE DETERMINED UNDER SECTIONS 9799.54 (RELATING TO APPLICABILITY) AND 9799.56(B
Section B is out of state convictions
So, we will pass this law and diatribute the orders to the State Police and fox it later. Hahahahahaha.
This is what I HATE about government, they think everyone is stupid. Reminds me of the old joke….What is the biggest lie in business? Answer : Phase 2.
Law are passed and never revisited, they are challenged in court and the process started all over again.
The PSP are high fiving right now that their absolutely ridiculous monologue that they bring out anytime ML is discussed did it’s job. A monologue that is based in fear mongoring without a single scientific argument based in fact.
While it is good to make the pionts in front of these sheep, we have proved that relief is only gained through the courts.
Another sad day.
So does this mean that since I had a 2004 registration of 10 years that turned into life on December 2012. That I won’t get relief now. What the hell does this bill mean and say.
Wait, Greenleaf passes it to look good politically based upon assurances from PSP, but yet knows it will have to come back again to be refined? How is that being a good steward of the taxpayer’s money if you have to do it again knowingly? Problem is this thinking is a nationwide issue, not just PA.
Eventually SCOTUS will have to rule on these registries once and for all. Otherwise, new laws will keep being written and struck down by the courts. It’s wash, rinse, repeat right now.
“Greenleaf called attention to the need to focus on the most dangerous sex offenders and better manage an offenders registry that has expanded greatly since Megan’s Law was first enacted in 1995.”
Who’s fault is it the the registry has “expanded greatly” over the last 23 years?
Among other things, I have a separation of powers solution for them.
“About 17,000 of the 22,000 active offenders on the sexual offender registry could face potential removal under the Muniz decision, Price said. Passage of HB1952 would keep an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 offenders on the registry and result in an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 individuals being removed from the registry, he added.”
Someone failed math.
….
Anyone see where 288(a) or 288.2 falls in the amended tiered bill?
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=288.2.&lawCode=PEN
What is House Bill 631???
Thought it was House Bill 1952?
House Bill 631 never got voted at the House Judiceray Level???
If you change the name you need to start voting over, you cant keep amending it as it moves forward thats illegal correct,?
“Greenleaf said he decided to move the legislation and vote for it after getting assurances during the hearing from Pennsylvania State Police officials, who said they would provide recommendations for improving Megan’s Law.” PSP won’t live up to their “bargain”.
“At the hearing, Major Scott Price, acting deputy state police commissioner, urged passage of HB1952 to blunt the impact of the Muniz decision.” Blunt the impact=Just trying to circumvent the Muniz decision.
Im lost!
I dont understand all this legal talk in the bills. And my first under standing was this was a good thing. But i dont know now. After reading post.
Next week should be interesting as I will be due for my quarterly registration for year 9 of 10 per my original plea In 2007. I am one of the pre sorna people but I still have 1 year to go before my 10 years is up. Like most of you I was changed to lifetime in 2012. It will be interesting to see if the PSP know what to do.
I was due for my quarterly check in. I usually receive a letter in the mail stating what dates to appear. It has been the same dates and time period since 2012. I never received a letter this month so I decided to go to the state police to cover my ass. They updated me without my letter. But the trooper said that there is stuff going on in the courts right now that PSP is trying to figure out.. she said I should be getting a letter in the mail. But I wasn’t about to not update cause who knows what PSP has up there sleeve. But as of today I have yet to receive a letter
PSP just charged this guy and he’s pre SORNA
http://www.exploreclarion.com/2018/02/06/megans-law-violation-james-haskins/
The police are wrong, SORNA requirements cant be applied to this man. Whether he has 10, 9, 8, 7….years left of his original 10 year registration. They arrested him for a SORNA violation and by law these charges will be dropped at the preliminary, only if he has a good attorney that understands that. He may not understand that either, or just stopped registering because he has more BALLS than most of us because he knows they cant prosecute him under SORNA. He should of stayed compliant until everything works itself out with SCOTUS and the new HOUSE BILL 1952 (or what they call it now) because now he will have to pay money to have the charges dropped. It was cheaper to just comply.
My husband was accused of violating SORNA requirements in 2016. His charges were drop because of the MUNIZ Decision. But my husband is still registered under SORNA and is in compliance until the new HOUSE BILL 1952 works its way through the system.
My husband won his enforce plea agreement, and they have under oath, Megans Law 2 lifetime registration was apart of his plea and sentence in 2006, because of his IDSI. and HOUSE Bill 1952 will grabbed him back up.
But in the meantime, letter has been sent to PSP and the court order also to remove him from SORNA. But until then he is in compliance because they will arrest him like the guy from the article.
HB 631 Has Had Final Passage. Waiting on Governor Wolfe to Sign.
Doesn’t look like there wasn’t anything changed in new bill when it was switched over to HB 631.
PSP has still provided no official plan of action on how they plan to remove people that should be off the ML registration. There has been a ton of conflicting information from the PSP on what will or is happening with the review and removal process. At this point anyone with a previous SO conviction that was ether required to not register or register for 10yrs should contact an attorney to get advice on how to move forward. I recommend doing everything you can to avoid PSP delating your removal in order to allow you to be placed on to the new law in HB631. Once the Governor signs this bill it will be in effect immediately and all SO will be subject to registration under it within 90days unless PSP has finished its review on a persons case removed them from the ML website and provided an official notice that they are no longer required to register. Here are the main questions we need to answer before we can trust the PSP and sit tight and wait for them to do their duty.
Have an official statement from PSP on who,when, where, and how, this review and removal is going to happen.
Proof the PSP has removed a significant amount of people due relief without them having to do anything.
Proof that if a persons review has not been completed before the 90day time limit to register under new law is up they will not be put onto the new law waiting to have their review completed. We should fight not to be put on this new law if we know we are due relief now.
Proof that PSP will recognize A.S. decision as reason to remove anyone with two or more 10yr reg offenses that have not been separated by a conviction a new crime and a conviction. Person will have to file ASAP to be removed per A.S. before being put on new law.
There will be those that say save your money or no big deal if you get put on new law. If the above questions are not all answered 100% by the end of next week you’re a fool not to hire an attorney to get off before new bill kicks in. The DAs are not fighting peoples writs so they should have time to get thru the trial court fast and in time to stay off the new bill an attorney could motion to have client not put on to new law until re3view has been finished.
PSP will have no reason to not answer all these questions in detail by the end of next week they have a complete picture of what must happen, no more excuses.
Lets hope that next week PSP starts to do the right thing because as of now they have only removed 100 people out of 4-5K due to come off and they have 40 ML section workers.
Please comment on what your ideas are
I was sentenced to 10 years on ML then it was moved to lifetime then down to 25 years. And that was back in 2008. So this is my 10th year and im hoping to see some progress with the court system soon. I have a great lawyer but my P.O. is a piece of work. I got 11 months county time.
Paul 2… What u say may be true and correct but many of us including myself have spoke with attorneys but can’t afford the out rageous price that they wanna charge us. So like me many of us don’t have a choice but to wait. If u would like to pay for our services I would take your advice and move forward. It will be good and a relief to be finally off but my pockets and bank account aren’t heavy enough. That’s why PSP is doing what they do cause they know the majority of us can’t afford the price these attorneys are charging.
PSP numbers are -120 since 1-30-2018 I know some have been added but for having 40 people on overtime Id say the milk is flowing pretty heavy over at PSP You say what?
Possibilities? https://www.justia.com/lawyers/civil-rights/pennsylvania/philadelphia/legal-aid-and-pro-bono-services
The only way any Registered Citizen who is required by Muniz Law to come off SORNA is either get an attorney or wait. There is nothing any of us can do anymore. My husband wastes money on an attorney to be removed from SORNA. And he has been ordered by the court to be removed from SORNA. However, he is IDSI, old Megans Law 2 Lifetime Registration. Which at his motion to enforce his plea they made it clear that they agree with him and ordered him to comply with Megans Law 2 old requirements of lifetime registration. Which is good in sense because House Bill 1952 will grab him up, but his recent court order from February 7 2018 stated must comply with Megans Law 2 Only per his plea agreement, IDSI which carried a lifetime registration under Megans Law 2 at the time of sentencing. So where the DA in the lower court thought he was getting something out of this deal, he just signed a legal paper with the judge stating that I must comply with Megans Law 2 only. That means, the new House Bill wont apply to me when the fight begins. Because my husband court order, from Feb 7 2018, states the court agree to enforce my husbands plea agreement of Megans Law 2, which is absolutely no internet posting of any of his information. Which if argued correctly in court, using old Commonwealth v Hainsworth and Nase which stated that there plea agreements were tailered around old Megans Law Requirements, which my husbands was Megans Law 2, which is going to force PSP to remove all information obtained from him for the new HOUSE BILL 1952, because plea agreements are law. My husband will have to register for life, as his plea agreement, but they will be forced to keep his information off the internet once it is fought in court when HOUSE BILL 1952 is passed. Because the 90 day wait to register under the new HOUSE BILL 1952, an attorney will be drafting the paperwork to make sure the PSP honors his plea agreements court order from Feb 7 2018 which is in place before the new law passed.
Yes, I have a group friend who had a possession of CP charge (tier 1) and dristibution of CP (tier 2). With SORNA he went to tier 3 because of the 2 counts and with A.S. They dropped him to Tier 2 because he has a tier 2 offense. Makes sense. He would have to do the Tier 2 25 years if that was the stand lone charge.
I just reached out to him last week to let him know that he will be back to his 10year no matter which law pass, it would appear at least for now.
paul 2 hb631
I was convicted in 2007 of 5 counts of unlawful contact with a minor. I was caught up in Tom Corbits internet sting, and was actually talking to a under cover agent. they gave me a count for everytime I talked to the under cover agent, so 5 chats cost me 5 counts.. now there was only ONE conviction, so at the time I was placed on 10 yr reg. I was ok with that, because even though there was no “victim” in my case, I OWNED it, because it was still WRONG. so everything is good, until sorna comes along in 2012. I get a letter from PSP stating that because of the new law, I am NOW A LIFETIME NON-SVP, because of the multiple counts, wtf??, THEN back in 2016, I find out about the A.S. decision and contacted my attorney. he wrote a letter to PSP informing them that the A.S. decision APPLIED to me, because, even though there was multiple counts, there was ONLY ONE conviction, so a few weeks later I get a letter from PSP, stating once again my reg. has changed, now I’m back on 25 yr semi scheme. so here I sit, on the reg, when I should be off at this point. technically I would be done now with my 10 yr, if I was still on it. my biggest fear is the new law somehow undoing the relief ive already been granted by the A.S. decision, and worse yet, somehow ending up back on life time reg again, because of the new law. I have read the bill. it is worded very slippery, and my attorney is studying it closely, because I don’t trust the lawmakers in Harrisburg or PSP any further than I can see them..as is evident by the trickery, and slight of hand they pulled to sneak this bill right in under everyones nose. I’m not holding my breath for psp to do the right thing, I just have a feeling I will be in court fighting for what should be an automatic…