Homeless Sex Offenders (S 2319)

Following passage last year of legislation to prohibit level III sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, the state has seen an increase in the number of homeless and potentially homeless sex offenders. In June, the Senate approved legislation to further target sex offenders and the shelter staff members who help them. This legislation required homeless sex offenders – who are already required to register – to disclose their offender status to the homeless shelter. The legislation then required the shelter to contact law enforcement and disclose the name and information of every offender in the shelter, every time they check in for the night. In March, the ACLU testified that this legislation served only to further stigmatize homeless sex offenders who are already abiding by their responsibility to register, and that forcing shelter workers to continually report on sex offenders' whereabouts is an onerous and inappropriate burden that takes them away from their primary responsibility - to provide care for the state's homeless population. Although the Senate approved the legislation, it was never sent across to the House and died.