If Pennsylvania passes its proposed sex offender bill (HB1958, SB 1183), hundreds of Pennsylvanians will be required to register as sex offenders, regardless if they have fulfilled their past registration obligation, and regardless if they were not required to register at the time of their original sentencing.

Pennsylvania may expand its list of "sexually violent offenses" that require registration to include offenses such as indecent exposure, endangering the welfare of a child, interference with custody of children, etc. This means that individuals who urinated in public and were seen by a child will be mixed in with serial child rapists on the Megan's Law website. These are not sexually violent offenses, and the addition of these offenses will do nothing but flood the Megan's Law website with individuals who do not pose a risk to our communities, and overwhelm law enforcement and the judicial system. Moreover, PA will make these laws retroactive, meaning that the laws will apply to individuals that have been convicted of these offenses in the past.

There is no evidence that these new laws will increase safety for our children. In fact, studies have shown that such laws may actually lead to more re-offenses because any progress these individuals have made in bettering their lives will be shattered. Their will to produce a better life will be taken from them.

The alleged goals of the proposed laws are to 1) close loopholes that allow certain out-of-state offenders to not have to register, and 2) prevent PA from losing funding from the federal government. The facts are, however, the loopholes are just a fragment of the bill, and the costs to implement the new laws will greatly exceed any lost funding. Moreover, several states such as Ohio are spending millions for lawsuits brought forth due to similar laws. Ohio's Supreme Court ruled these laws to be unconstitutional.

If the laws are enacted, hundreds of Pennsylvanians and their children will be unnecessarily humiliated and subjected to harassment, job loss, and social banishment. The public must be educated to understand that not all sex crimes are the same, and not all sex offenders are a threat to children.  If your true interest is protecting children, then please oppose this bill, as so many children will be harassed and bullied if their parent is unnecessarily required to register on the Megan's Law website.