2025 Legislative Priorities 1). “Tammie L.” Bill. (Rules Comte, Judiciary/Courts) list SOR bill # This bill creates a legislative framework through which anyone placed on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry may petition any circuit court for removal from the Registry after five years have passed from the original or any subsequent conviction, if they a). have had no additional felony convictions subsequent to their original violation; b). have not been convicted of any sexual violations of law since their original conviction; c). Have paid all fines and restitution as directed by the court; and d). Is retroactive to any date prior to implementation of this law. Rationale: Under current Virginia law, registrants placed on Tier I may petition a circuit court for removal after 15 years, and registrants placed on Tier II may petition a circuit court after 25 years have passed. However, there is no mechanism allowing anyone placed on Tier III (formerly violent sexual predator) removal from the sex offender registry for any reason, even if they have been wrongly placed onto the registry many years ago or have never committed a sexual offense against any person as commonly understood under current Virginia law. This is based on an erroneous, prior understanding in the law decades ago that anyone convicted of certain offenses was considered a “violent sexual predator,” even though they may not have necessarily even committed a sexual offense. The “Tammie L” bill affords those wrongfully convicted or those permanently placed a much needed avenue for redress, which neither the appeals process, the Writ of Actual Innocence, nor the Governor’s pardon process allows. This bill follows on a two-year study initiated by the American Law Institute. Its findings recommend that no one, regardless of tier level, should be on the registry for longer than five years, and that no one should be locked into any registry for a lifetime. This year, bills to limit SORNA requirements to five years survived at various levels in North Dakota, Washington state, and Utah. In recent years, several state supreme courts, including Michigan, Alaska, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina, and Colorado have declared lifetime registry unconstitutional or have otherwise restricted its permanency, and Pennsylvania has made similar pronouncements regarding juveniles listed on the registry. The Iowa Supreme Court and others have ruled that hearings for removal must be allowed and that a proper, current risk assessment ought to include lack of recidivism. Sex Offender registry resembles Jim Crow era-like laws which perpetually punishes, even many decades after the offense Looking for suggestions and a sponsor