STATE HOUSE – “As long as there is one sex offender out there that we cannot account for, there is the potential for great harm, the potential for another victim,” said Representative Palumbo (D-Dist. 16, Cranston).
Representative Palumbo has again this year, in conjunction with the Office of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, introduced legislation to enact the Sexual Offender Registration and Community Notification Act (SORNA), striking existing language in state law and replacing it with a statute the sponsor says will provide greater protection for Rhode Island citizens.
“This is a significant piece of legislation, a comprehensive bill that encompasses a number of issues regarding sex offenders and public information about them. But it is really about just one thing – keeping people, and especially young people, safe from sexual predators,” said Representative Palumbo.
Representative Palumbo spearheaded Rhode Island’s enactment of Megan’s Law, which requires the state’s parole board and courts to evaluate all sexual offenders leaving prison and determine the risk posed to the community, and also Jessica’s Law, which requires first-degree child molesters and Level 3 sex offenders to wear a global positioning system monitor.
For Attorney General Kilmartin, passing SORNA is not only about a more comprehensive law that implements the provisions of the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, it is also about greater protection for Rhode Island citizens.
“It is a priority of the Office of Attorney General, and me personally, to advocate for laws that better protect our community and, more so, laws that better protect our children from child sex offenders,” said Attorney General Kilmartin. “The SORNA legislation will give greater protections for the citizens of Rhode Island and will give law enforcement the information to keep sex offenders accountable.”
The bill being introduced this year by Representative Palumbo (2014-H 7425) is identical to the legislation he sponsored last year, which was passed by the House of Representatives but not taken up by the Senate.
The act would:
Provide for the registration and notification of those adults adjudicated for a sex offense and those juveniles adjudicated as an adult for a sex offense. ..Continued.. by Representative Palumbo Press Release
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