The Assembly’s Appropriations Committee today failed to release the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421) from its suspense file. As a result, the bill is dead and will not move to the Assembly floor for a vote.
“We are disappointed that the State of California will continue a lifetime registry for virtually all registrants,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The Appropriations Committee had an opportunity to correct this 70-year-old mistake, but instead decided to continue it.”
The Senate passed the Tiered Registry Bill earlier this year, including all committees and a floor vote. One Assembly committee also passed the bill, however, approval by the Appropriations Committee was necessary for the bill to move forward.
“We thank all of the registrants and family members who helped move the Tiered Registry Bill so far,” stated Bellucci. “It is because of their support that the Tiered Registry Bill almost became law. We will repeat and build on those efforts in 2019.”
Related Media
http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-bill-to-reduce-names-on-california-s-1504292042-htmlstory.html
Maybe the next tiered registry bill can have automatic removal from the registry for Tier 1 and Tier 2 after 10 and 20 years respectively. Then there will be no petitions or static this or static that tests. Then they can’t say it will cost too much.
I’m disheartened that this bill was stopped. Although not perfect, it was a step in chipping away the 70 year old edifice of lifetime registration.
Note, this still means Ca supports a lifetime term of registration. The registry is a privacy issue, as denoted by the Colorado courts today (although, I’ve been making the point it always was about privacy). Meaning a lifetime term of negation of pursuing and obtaining privacy still continues.
Here’s Ca Constitution Art 1, Sec 1:
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SECTION 1. All people are by nature free and independent and have
inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and
liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing
and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.
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Either the California Constitution is wrong or the “Lifetime registry” (a lifetime negation of privacy, to pursue or obtain it) is wrong. Both cannot co-exist. Regulatory nomenclature matters not as the CA Constitution denotes the inalienable trait. Only when you are in custody do you lose your inalienable rights, but those are restored once you are no longer under custody (as proven by the statute of Involuntary Servitude that it is prohibited unless to punish a crime). So an a free person, those are inalienable rights that the California govt cannot take away from its free citizen.
We have a state constitution. Let’s use that to negate the lifetime term. Other states have been using their own constitution to refute the registry, so why can’t we?
Out of SF:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Attempt-to-end-lifetime-sex-offender-registration-12168313.php
I’m still proud that we’ve gotten this far and I have all the confidence in all my heart that we can all have our lives back someday.
Just one question: why do we have to wait till 2019? Why can’t we try again in 2018?
The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. This is the stupidest and most ignorant reasoning for State finance officials to say that it would involve “significant ongoing cost in the tens of millions of dollars for technology costs.”
Since when does it costs tens of millions of dollars to REDUCE your workload?
I used to work in the IT business, and I worked for one of the biggest websites in the world, so I’m no stranger to database-driven websites. Trust me, the Megan’s Law website is NOT that sophisticated. It’s prehistoric compared to the other platforms that are available today. Without getting into a lecture about a database and its objects and variables, you can create a batch command that could take half of the registrants off the site in maybe an hour or less.
The only extra work I can imagine is just assigning tiers to each registrant and even that wouldn’t be an insurmountable job. The government’s use of “technology” is amateur. They still use Dells that are 10 to 15 years old.
It’s truly insulting to expect all of us to accept that kind of answer for not releasing the bill. Just once, I challenge anybody in Sacramento to come forward and tell us just what changes in the “technology” would require tens of millions of dollars.
Come on, we’re living in a world now where 10 year-olds are making smart phone apps overnight, for free.
Are those people in Sacramento THAT stupid or do they think WE are that stupid to accept this sorry-ass excuse?
I was on the fence with the first two drafts of the tiered registry. But with the most recent revisions, I felt that the bill began to evolve into legislation that many would likely regret.
Personally, and I know many of you differ from my opinion, I think that the death of this bill is a blessing in disguise. Some things that bothered me with regard to SB 421 was how the most recent draft limited SARATSO / Static 99R scoring to one’s score at the time of release. This was logically faulty in light of the 2016 Coding Rules that stated need for reevaluation every two years, “risk” level halved after five years offense-free, the fact California only evaluated the damn Static for five years, and the fact the Static is not to be used after ten years. How was the Static 99, with all these limitations specified in the Coding Rules, supposed to determine *lifetime* classification??
Then on top of everything else: requirements to petition (with no guarantees), offenses being moved into higher tiers (with nothing barring more offenses being elevated to upper tiers in the future — as what was already being done *before* the legislation even came to effect), and the requirement that “treatment” programs be “CASOMB certified” (i.e. creates business for Tom Tobin’s Sharper Future scam).
Until registration is deemed a form of punishment, any legislation like the tiering scheme would have been only an illusion designed to buy more time for the state to impose its registration punishment under the guise of civil penalty. In my opinion, and I know many of you differ, the failure of this bill probably saved a lot of us the trouble of “chasing a phantom” and even spending thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees only to be disappointed in the end.
IMO, this is a battle to be fought and won in the judiciary.
The real question which needs to be addressed is “who” in the Assembly actually voted against this bill and is there any recourse to let this person(s) know that we will eventually find out the truth and let it be known? Perhaps we need to start paying attention to those who are biased beyond reason and are only imposing their will no matter what their colleagues decide as a majority on behalf of the voters. San Diego might be a good starting point.
California loves flirting with this bill they don’t want to force this bill on everybody right away because they’re afraid of the backlash so just like everything else there going to slowly start to push this bill on everyone whether they like it or not. I do truly believe this bill will pass one day sometime within the next 8 years. Until then the only way to live in peace and be free of all this craziness and keep law enforcement off your back is $MONEY$ every dollar you obtain is one inch closer to your freedom privacy and living in peace . I’m done with this website for a while I did like everybody’s personal opinions beliefs and Insight on the whole registry situation it was interesting and much respect to Janice and the whole ACSOL it’s always good to know if your constitutional rights as an American citizen are ever violated the ACSOL will have your back ..So good luck everybody keep your head up and stay positive no matter what comes your way and watch your back because there’s always some form of law enforcement out there watching you so be ready
I personally could have lived with the Senate version and would have benefited, But the newest version I absolutely did not trust! And now I’m actually relieved to be back at the norm. I think we gained a lot during the process: We learned of their needs to reduce not grow the registry; We have in our possession a video by the CASOMB that shoots arrows all through the premises for these laws.
We still have some un-seeming partners out there like it or not for them; we have December 2016 with being in a stronger position to begin the battle in the courts–the only place this can be won.
Just look at what two decisions did for Michigan and Pennsylvania California courts must be next!! And Janice has had successes there.
I think this is a blessing–we were being given a Trojan-horse!