Requires sex offenders to verify their residence and registration on a biannual basis

Section 2: The opening paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 168-f of the Correction Law, as added by Chapter 192 of the Laws of 1995, is amended to change from an annual verification date to a random biannual verification procedure.

Section 3: Subdivision 2 of section 168-g of the Correction Law, as amended by section 18 of subpart B of part C of Chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to provide that sex offenders must comply with the random biannual address verification.

Section 4: Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 168-h of the Correction Law, as amended by Chapter 1 of the Laws of 2006, are amended to change annually to biannually.

Section 5: Provides the effective date.

Justification

Terrifying examples of the need for stricter laws regulating sex offenders permeate the news across the country evening after evening. The killing of children like Jessica Lunsford in Florida is a sad reminder that the current state of sex offender registration and community notification leaves more to be done in the effort to ensure the safety of our children and communities. Law enforcement officers need better tools to be able to keep track of the most dangerous offenders, especially those who choose to ignore their registration requirements under New York State's version of Megan's Law. Therefore, it is vitally important to verify the registered location of sex offenders to make sure that they have not moved and are still following their registration requirements.

Under current law, level 3 offenders must verify their registration every 90 days. However, level 1 and 2 offenders are only checked on once a year with a verification form on their anniversary of registration. By giving convicted sex offenders a year between each verification of their registration, and especially by letting them know when this verification will take place, we leave New York residents vulnerable to the possibility that these offenders will cheat the system in between verifications in order to harm more children. Recent attacks on children across the country have shown that sex offenders will often abscond from their registered address to areas where law enforcement and residents are unaware of their existence. Therefore, it is important to verify that a sex offender is indeed living where they are registered at least once in each six month period of time, and to stop doing so on a date that the offender is aware of in advance.

Legislative history

2013-2014: S1428 Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections/Assembly Corrections 2011-2012: S.1829A Finance 2009-2010: S.1485 Codes 2007-2008: S.434 Passed Senate, Non-Controversial/Assembly Corrections 2005-2006: S.S404A Passed Senate/Assembly Corrections

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law, provided that any rules, regulations and forms necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be completed on or before such date.