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07 May 08
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Members of Congress on Thursday were introduced to legislation that would require states to keep closer tabs on convicted sex offenders not behind bars.
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"While individual states have passed legislation targeting sexual offenders and predators, I feel that we need to have strong federal guidelines for states to follow."
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Currently, states are supposed to send sex offenders an annual mailer with an address verification form.
Under the Jessica Lunsford Act, states would be required to send the mailers semiannually and at random times, so offenders don't know when to expect them.
For those who do not answer the mailers, the legislation would increase penalties to imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. Any offender who fails twice to register with a state or fails more than once to answer a mailer would be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor.
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The bill is currently in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, according to a congressional bill-tracking site. Brown-Waite said 43 lawmakers have signed on.
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The Florida Senate is now considering a bill, also called the Jessica Lunsford Act, that would impose longer sentences and tougher penalties for convicted sex offenders. It would mandate that, after their release, the offenders be electronically monitored for the rest of their lives. The Florida House unanimously approved a similar bill Tuesday. (Full story)
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Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican Congressman from Texas, has introduced legislation that would make the FBI's database of sex offenders available to the general public, Brown-Waite said.
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"The reason we're here is because of a little girl who was 9 years old and lived in Florida," Poe said.
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