Senate Announces Conference Committee Members For Civil Confinement Legislation

(Albany, NY) Senator Dale M. Volker (R-I-C, Depew) today announced that Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has made appointments to a joint legislative conference committee on civil confinement legislation.

Senator Bruno appointed Senator Dale Volker (R-C-I, Depew), Chairman of the Senate Codes Committee, to serve as Co-Chair of the conference committee. He also appointed Senator Ray Meier (R, Western), Senator Marty Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) and Senator Nick Spano (R-C, Westchester). Senate Minority Leader David Paterson has not announced his appointment to the conference committee.

"It is imperative that we act quickly to address the dangers that violent sexual predators pose to society," said Senator Bruno. "We want to build on the recent success in passing legislation to strengthen Megan’s Law and preventing thousands of sex offenders from dropping off the sex offender registry. By convening a conference committee on civil confinement legislation, we will be taking another huge step toward protecting the public from these dangerous sex offenders."

"The time is now to address this scourge and make people accountable for their actions. I would like to thank Senate Majority Bruno for keeping the focus on sex offenders on the front burner and working with our Assembly colleagues and the Governor in order to bring about a consensus on this important criminal justice initiative," said Senator Dale M. Volker. "We have the opportunity to save lives, protect our children, and ensure that our communities are safe from sexual predators who roam our streets in pursuit of their next victim. This conference committee focusing on civil commitment for habitual, and often violent sex offenders, is a honest attempt to provide for the treatment and control of sexually violent predators at secure facilities in order to reduce their chances of re-offending and to protect the most vulnerable people in our society, our children."

Last week, the Senate passed legislation (S.6325), sponsored by Senator Volker, that provides for the civil commitment of sexually violent predators at a secure treatment facility after they have completed their prison sentence in order to protect the public from criminals likely to commit repeated acts of sexual violence.