ST. THOMAS - Some last-minute concerns Tuesday caused members of the Senate Rules and Judiciary Committee to hold a bill updating the sex offender registry laws in the territory.
The legislation amends the Virgin Islands Sexual Offender Registration and Community Protection Act of 1997 to increase reporting requirements for convicted sex offenders.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. submitted the bill to the Legislature last year, according to Senate President Ronald Russell.
Two concerns were raised before the meeting that led the bill to be held, Russell said Tuesday.
One concern was the reporting requirement for a sex offender who wants to leave the territory or the United States. Under the proposed law, a registered offender must give the government 21 calendar days advance notice before he or she leaves the country.
Russell said an amendment is being prepared to shorten that time frame.
The measure generally forces all sex offenders to register with the V.I. government within three days of coming to the territory or changing residences within the territory. Some reporting requirements vary depending on the crime for which the offender was convicted.
Additionally, Russell said, states with similar laws on the books recently have faced legal challenges claiming that the law is unconstitutional.
"In Ohio and other states, some people have challenged the law, and we want to be sure that it can withstand challenges if brought," Russell said.
The bill also amends the law to expand the requirements of who must register. Currently, anyone who has been convicted of a sexual crime anywhere in the United States or a court of another "competent jurisdiction" must register.
The proposed law would establish a three-tiered classification system, requiring offenders convicted of crimes of varying severity to register for a period of 15 years, 25 years or life. Currently the law requires sexual offenders to register for either 15 years or life.
The territory already has lost out on about $92,000 in federal law enforcement funding this year and stands to lose a similar amount for each year that the territory is not in compliance with the mandates required by the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006.
About 34 other states also have failed to meet the requirements according to V.I. Attorney General Vincent Frazer. ..Source.. by Aldeth Lewin
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