An Act Concerning the Release of a Registered Sex Offender into the Community Exposed

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An Act Concerning the Release of a Registered Sex Offender into the Community was adopted by ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force on July 17, 2009, approved by the ALEC Board of Directors on August 27, 2009. ALEC has attempted to distance itself from this piece of legislation after the launch of ALECexposed.org in 2011, but it has done nothing to get it repealed in the states where it previously pushed for it to be made into law.

ALEC Bill Text

(a) (1) The sex offender registry maintained by the Department of Public Safety shall be a public record and shall be accessible to the public during normal business hours. The Department of Public Safety shall make registry information available to the public through the Internet. Not less than once per calendar quarter, the Department of Public Safety shall issue notices to all print and electronic media in the state regarding the availability and means of accessing the registry. Each local police department and each state police troop shall keep a record of all registration information transmitted to it by the Department of Public Safety, and shall make such information accessible to the public during normal business hours.

(2) (A) Any state agency, the Judicial Department, any state police troop or any local police department may, at its discretion, notify any government agency, private organization or individual of registration information when such agency, said department, such troop or such local police department, as the case may be, believes such notification is necessary to protect the public or any individual in any jurisdiction from any person who is subject to registration.

(B) Whenever a registrant is released into the community, the Department of Public Safety shall, by electronic mail, notify the superintendent of schools for the school district in which the registrant resides, or plans to reside, of such release and provide such superintendent with the same registry information for such registrant that the department makes available to the public through the Internet under subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, state agencies, the Judicial Department, state police troops and local police departments shall not disclose the identity of any victim of a crime committed by a registrant or treatment information provided to the registry, inclusive, except to government agencies for bona fide law enforcement or security purposes.

(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, registration information the dissemination of which has been restricted by court order and which is not otherwise subject to disclosure, shall not be a public record and shall be released only for law enforcement purposes until such restriction is removed by the court pursuant to said section.

(5) When any registrant completes the registrant's term of registration or is otherwise released from the obligation to register, the Department of Public Safety shall notify any state police troop or local police department having jurisdiction over the registrant's last reported residence address that the person is no longer a registrant, and the Department of Public Safety, state police troop and local police department shall remove the registrant's name and information from the registry.

(b) Neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state nor any officer or employee thereof, shall be held civilly liable to any registrant by reason of disclosure of any information regarding the registrant that is released or disclosed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section. The state and any political subdivision of the state and, except in cases of wanton, reckless or malicious conduct, any officer or employee thereof, shall be immune from liability for good faith conduct in carrying out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.

(c) {Severability Clause. }

(d) {Repealer Clause. }

(e) {Effective date.}

Approved by the Public Safety and Elections Task Force on July 17, 2009.

Approved by the ALEC Board of Directors on August 27, 2009.