Statement On New York's Megan's Law

Not one individual will come off the rolls of New York's Sex Offender Registry if the Senate and governor move quickly to support legislation put forth by the Assembly. A.9082 would require that sex offenders who would otherwise complete their 10 year terms on the registry remain on it until March 31, 2007, while the federal government takes the necessary steps to address the patchwork of sex offender registries nationwide and put in place a national standard.

Federal law clearly will define future requirements for Megan's Law on a national basis. The United States House of Representatives has already passed legislation which would require New York to completely revise Megan's Law and would make proposals advanced in the Senate to rewrite Megan's Law obsolete. A similar proposal is expected to be acted upon in the near future by the United States Senate. As the Assembly moves forward with its own comprehensive legislation to provide stronger protections for our communities from sexual predators, Assembly bill 9082 clearly stands as important legislation that would ensure no one moves off the Megan's Law registry while the new federal law is being finalized, enacted and implemented.

The Assembly Majority also urges the Senate to support the Assembly's Child Safety and Sexual Predator Punishment and Confinement Strategy, a comprehensive, tough and effective plan to protect communities and families. The package, which includes tougher penalties for sex crimes, expanded monitoring of sex offenders, civil commitment and improved services for victims of sexual assault and abuse, will be among the first orders of business in this legislative session.