Residency Restrictions

In one of the most troubling actions of the session, the legislature hurriedly passed a bill making it a crime for any sex offender to live within 300 feet of a school. Introduced in February, the bill was heard for the first time on June 20th. Further, although no testimony in favor of the bill was given, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the legislation with only one dissent. When, in the final hours of the session, some House Judiciary Committee members refused to provide a quorum necessary for a committee vote on the bill, legislative leaders exercised their powers under House rules to vote as ex-officio committee members. Machinations like these were perhaps necessary since, despite their popular political support, there is widespread agreement among victims’ rights groups and prosecutors that these laws are ineffective and counter-productive. In fact, the General Assembly’s own sex offender study commission had rejected residency restrictions! The ACLU will be considering taking legal action against the new law.