The Senate Judiciary Committee introduced two bills on Morrison’s behalf.
The first bill fixes a loophole in Jessica’s Law that allows some second time sex offenders to be treated as first time offenders. This bill will ensure all second time sexual offenders face a mandatory 40-year sentence as the Legislature intended. Morrison recognized this oversight and urges swift action by the Legislature.
“This is a potentially dangerous oversight and I urge legislators to act quickly,” said Morrison.
The second bill proposes a number of enhancements to the current sex offender registration requirements, some of which are components of the Adam Walsh Act, which Congress recently passed.
Specifically, this bill would increase the number of times sex offenders must register with law enforcement and increase the identifying information collected from sex offenders. This bill would also require sex offenders to register their email addresses and online identities, so that law enforcement can better track their online activity.
“In order to better protect our kids, we must supervise sex offenders more closely,” said Morrison. “This bill will make it possible to monitor the location and online activity of registered offenders.”