State Legislature Reaches Agreement On Megan's Law Reform
Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (8th Senate District) announced today that both the Senate and Assembly have reached an agreement on new, stronger protections from sex offenders. The new law, which was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly and signed into law by Governor Pataki shortly thereafter, requires lifetime registration for convicted Level 2 and 3 sex offenders.
"Strengthening Megan’s Law and making it easier to keep our children out of harms way was a must," said Senator Fuschillo. "Parents should have the ability to know when there is a sex offender in the neighborhood in order to protect their children from these predators. I am extremely thankful that both the Senate and the Assembly worked together to pass this vital measure."
The law requires lifetime registration for level three offenders, the registry’s highest and most dangerous category. Level two offenders must also register for life, but are allowed to petition for removal from the registry after a minimum of thirty years. Level one offenders, the lowest of the registry’s classification levels, are required to register for twenty years.
Under the previous law, most sex offenders were only required to register for ten years. On January 21, 2006, the 10th anniversary of the effective date of New York State’s sex offender registry, 168 sex offenders were scheduled to be dropped from the registry because they had met the 10-year mandate to keep police posted of their whereabouts. Hundreds more were scheduled to drop off the sex offender registry each month thereafter, totaling over 3,500 offenders by the end of 2006.
"By ensuring that the most dangerous sex offenders are registered for life, we will help prevent them from inflicting a lifetime of pain on another family," Senator Fuschillo added.
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