CA-States resisting Adam Walsh Act

7-10-2010 California:

California, 46 others argue law is flawed

SACRAMENTO — It was milestone legislation hailed at the White House, the culmination of an exhaustive campaign by bereaved parents to help prevent future abductions and murders of children.

Yet, nearly four years after the Adam Walsh Act was signed by then-President George W. Bush, California and 46 other states have refused to follow through and implement the law, despite its potential political appeal and the threat of losing federal funding for noncompliance.

By continuing to balk, cash-short California risks losing $5.6 million annually from the Justice Department as well as another $22.5 million in a one-time grant to be received in 2010-2011, according to the state Department of Finance.

However, it would cost the state even more — $32 million a year — to carry out the law that the state believes is flawed, officials here argue.

“California is smart to step back and say there are more costs than benefits. ... So far, pretty much everyone seems to understand this is a bad idea,” said Robert Coombs, a member of California’s Sex Offender Management Board, which has long contended the state is better off sticking with its own aggressive measures and registration policies. ..For Rest of Story.. by Michael Gardner