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July 19, 2005 For more details on bills, visit the legislative website at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us From Mark’s Desk Dear Friends, Over the next few weeks, I will be sending you topical summaries of some of the legislation I sponsored and passed this year in the General Assembly. Recent events remind us of the need to remain vigilant in the protection of our youth. It seems we hear reports weekly of children gone missing, leaving families and authorities to search for them. New media practices such as “Amber Alerts” are helpful, but only after an abduction occurs. We must continue to be proactive to head these incidents off at the pass. Yesterday, the Tennessean newspaper reported several sex offenders living in close proximity to schools in Nashville. Pre-kindergarten through fourth grade students unwittingly walk past the home of a convicted child molester every day. Under a new law which takes effect August 1, it is now illegal for a sex offender to relocate to a home within 1,000 feet of a school or day care. But there is one execption: if the offender is already living there, the restriction doesn't apply. The offender is “grandfathered” into the location. So the law only covers those offenders moving into another residence; if they are already living within the 1,000 foot boundary, they are exempt. The Tennessean estimates roughly 100 sex offenders can continue living within 1,000 feet of a school or day care. This is clearly something we must address. Regardless of when they moved into their current residence, their conviction on these charges is grounds enough to require them to keep away from schools and day care facilities. I am proud that we made progress in the ongoing fight against child molesters and other sex offenders this year. But there is still work to be done. As long as we continue to see children being abducted and abused, we cannot stop efforts to strengthen the system and keep our kids safe. We do not need another “Amber Alert” reminding us to pursue child sexual offenders to protect our young people. Listed below are three key bills I passed granting law enforcement greater latitude in capturing and jailing sex offenders. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will continue to work to strengthen our ability to incarcerate these predators and to guard against their unfettered release into our communities.
Listed below are three bills I proposed this year related to juvenile sex crimes. All of these bills were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.
This year, I sponsored Senate Bill 206 to set the record straight on a law passed last year. The legislation, co-sponsored by my Senate colleague Diane Black (R-Gallatin), prohibits individuals convicted of any offense requiring listing on the sexual offender registry from being granted “trusty” status in a county, state or municipal jail or workhouse. The goal is to prevent convicted sex offenders from attaining any travel privileges that “trusty” status allows while incarcerated.
The measure makes several changes to the current juvenile code, including: -If a juvenile probationer is required to attend school as a condition of probation, the principal must be notified of the offender’s status. -A minor charged with rape of a child can be prosecuted as an adult.
It is our duty as lawmakers to take every measure to protect the public from sexual predators. As such, I co-sponsored Senate Bill 190 to assure that legislation we adopted last year fully addresses registration issues for convicted sexual offenders. The legislation tweaked current law and toughened the check-in requirements for those who must report their whereabouts to authorities. Currently, there are over 7,800 convicted offenders on the sexual offender registry. * * * * * |
