Senator Klein Assails District Court Decision Striking Sex Offender Registration Extension

ALBANY, NY—In response to a ruling announced yesterday by Justice Denny Chin of the Federal District Court in Manhattan overturning a key component of the Megan’s Law extender passed in January 2006, State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Westchester/Bronx), a member of the Senate Codes Committee and the Senate Democrats’ representative on the joint Megan’s Law conference committee, issued the following statement:

“Judge Chin’s ruling is a severe setback for all New Yorkers concerned about protecting our families from sexual predators. As a result of this misguided decision, more than 3,000 sex offenders are now at risk of falling off the registry and back into the anonymity that has previously allowed them easy access to unsuspecting victims.

New York’s sex offender registry needs to be strengthened, not weakened. I urge the State to appeal this decision before these predators disappear into our communities.”

Klein, who was an original co-sponsor of Megan’s Law in 1995, has long been a leader in the fight to keep New Yorkers safe from repeat sexual predators. Throughout his 12 years in the Legislature, he has been an advocate for enhancing the state sex offender registry, elimination of the statute of limitations on rape and a strong civil commitment law to keep the most violent sexual predators confined to mental facilities and off our streets.

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