Texas sex offender registry in danger?

A BIG Opps?

9-9-2010 Texas:

Proposal to kill registry was $3 million mistake, official now says.

In the Texas Department of Public Safety's proposed budget for the next two years, officials warn that if they must reduce spending by 15 percent, a high-profile public registry of sex offenders will have to go away.

No more website, no more postcard notifications to neighbors, the budget document states, even though one of the agency's goals listed in the budget document is to "enhance public safety."

The savings would be just over $3 million of the $28 million the state's police force would have to cut from its $2.7 billion two-year budget, DPS accountants reported.

One problem: The agency is required by state law to operate the registry, which keeps track of 62,971 sex offenders, including 1,326 in Austin.

So what gives?

It was a mistake, a DPS spokeswoman said Wednesday.

"We do not anticipate any reductions in the sex offender (registration) program," said Tela Mange, chief of media relations for the DPS. "We are working on a revision to that."

The cut was listed in the proposed budget for 2012-13 that was submitted to the Legislature in recent days. Legislative leaders were surprised, especially because DPS Director Steve McCraw had testified at a June hearing that he favored implementing a federal law that could add thousands of offenders to the registry.

The law expands the types of offenses for which offenders must register, a move that, by some estimates, could cost Texas up to $38 million, even though McCraw has insisted it could be done for much less.

The proposal to "do away with the sex offender website and postcard notifications informing the public of movements of high-risk offenders" was listed on Page 707 of its 769-page budget filing with the Legislative Budget Board.

Despite that plan, Mange said McCraw has made it clear "that even if there is a reduction to the department's budget, the essential elements of the sex offender program would remain intact because of its importance to the state."

"DPS would seek legislative authority to reallocate other DPS resources to ensure other elements of the program are not diminished," Mange said. "The state Legislature has made it clear that this is a state priority because of the nature of the threat."

So why propose that it be cut?

"I believe they may be working on a revision of that part of the (legislative appropriations request) to make clear that we would find a way to continue the program," she said. "We are asked by the Legislature to do a lot of things that sometimes aren't funded."

And if the sex-offender registry continues to be funded, where will the $3 million cut to pay for it be made elsewhere?

No immediate word on that, Mange said. ..Source.. Mike Ward AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF