California lawmakers OK 'Chelsea's Law'

8-31-2010 California:

A group of bills related to child abduction and sex offenders, including one that would incarcerate the most violent sex offenders for life without parole and provide harsher sentences for forcible sex crimes, is awaiting the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

On Monday, "Chelsea's Law," carried by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher of San Diego, cleared the state Assembly floor on a 72-0 concurrence vote.

Once enacted, the measure also will place increased restrictions on sex offenders on parole, as well as mandate that the Megan's Law website lists sex offenders' risk assessment scores, and revise the California mentally disordered offender laws to allow for continued detention of offenders where evaluation and assessment indicate it to be necessary.

Chelsea's Law is named after 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway, Calif., who was raped and murdered while jogging in a Rancho Bernardo Park in February.

Mr. Schwarzenegger has said he would sign the measure. "I am committed to protecting our children and keeping our communities safe from the threat of sexual predators," he said.

Mr. Fletcher, a Republican, said Monday that the passage of Chelsea's Law shows that "this body can come together in a bipartisan way and make substantial changes" to what he called a broken public safety system, with "systemic failures." He said the multi-agency group that crafted Chelsea's Law worked nearly every day for six months to find good policy. ..For the remainder of the story.. by Julie Pendray