Right now in Michigan, a registered sex offender can legally own and operate a martial arts studio, run a summer camp, or work as a youth sports coach. There is no law stopping them. House Bills 5425 and 5426 would close that gap — and the Michigan Legislature needs to pass them now.

Michigan already prohibits registered sex offenders from working in schools. But that protection stops at the schoolhouse door. The moment a child walks into a dance studio, a tutoring center, or a bowling league, those same protections disappear. Parents in Rep. Matthew Bierlein's district found this out the hard way — learning that their children's martial arts instructor had been convicted of child sexual abuse. As one father told the Michigan House Judiciary Committee, he and his wife had simply assumed "that a child sex offender could not possibly own and operate a child's martial arts studio." That assumption was wrong, and their children paid the price.

No parent should have to cross-reference the sex offender registry before dropping their kid off at karate class. That is not an unreasonable ask. It is the bare minimum.

House Bills 5425 and 5426 would require registered sex offenders to stay out of businesses that primarily serve children — places like summer camps, youth sports venues, tutoring companies, and dance and martial arts studios. The burden would fall where it belongs: on those who have broken the law, not on the families trying to keep their kids safe.

The bills have already cleared the House Judiciary Committee. Now they need to pass the full Michigan House and Senate and be signed into law. We're calling on Michigan lawmakers to act without delay.