CA: Supervisors Ready to Back Sex-offender Legislation

sbsun.com(CA):Supervisors ready to back sex-offender legislation.

The Board of Supervisors is poised to sign a letter of support for legislation that would require registered sex offenders to provide law enforcement all of their online addresses, e-mail addresses and instant messaging user names.

On Tuesday (May 11,2010), the board will vote on whether or not to ratify an action to support Senate Bill 1204, introduced in February and authored by Sen. George Runner, R-Antelope Valley.

Runner calls his legislation another tool for law enforcement in monitoring some of society's most dangerous sex offenders, who would face up to six months in jail if not in compliance with the new registration requirements if passed.

"We know where they live and now we will know what web pages, instant messaging names and e-mail addresses they control," Runner said in an April 20 news release. "The Internet has become a virtual playground to predators. It makes sense to force convicted sex offenders to share their online addresses with law enforcement."

To view Senate Bill 1204 go to http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm. Select Senate Bill and type in "1204". California residents should contact their representatives to tell them to stop this bill.

Bill Excerpts:

"The bill would require a person who is required to register as a
sex offender to inform the law enforcement agency  or
agencies with which he or she last registered of all of his
or her online addresses, e-mail addresses, and instant messaging user
names no later than December 31, 2011, and, thereafter, at the time
of original registration and within 30 days of establishing a new
online account, and would make it a misdemeanor to fail to do so."

"(e) A person required to register pursuant to the Act shall inform
the law enforcement agency  or agencies  with which
he or she last registered of all of his or her online addresses,
e-mail addresses, and instant messaging user names no later than
December 31, 2011, and thereafter, at the time of original
registration and within 30 days of establishing a new online account.
 Notification may be filed in the same manner as a change of
address or may be completed and verified online as permitted by the
Department of Justice.   Information received pursuant
to this subdivision may, upon request, be shared with the Department"
of Justice or other law enforcement agencies.