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2019 SESSION

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HB 2303 Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration.

Introduced by: James A. "Jay" Leftwich | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification of registration. Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter's staff who is responsible for providing security of such person's status as a registered sex offender. The bill provides that any person who fails to notify the shelter's staff of his status as a registered sex offender is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. This bill provides that no person shall be denied entry solely on the basis of his status as a sex offender unless such entry is otherwise prohibited by law, but emergency shelter staff may deny entry of a person on such registry who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense for a period of time necessary to ensure the safety of other individuals admitted to the emergency shelter. This bill is identical to SB 1047.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration. Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter's staff who is responsible for providing security of such person's status as a registered sex offender. The bill provides that any person who fails to notify the shelter's staff of his status as a registered sex offender is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill provides that the shelter's staff may access the publicly available information on the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry regarding such person and use such information to ensure the safety of all persons in the shelter. The bill requires that the Department of State Police provide to any registered sex offender at the time of his initial registration a summary of his obligation to inform the staff of an emergency shelter of his status as a registered sex offender.