Senator Clark Barnes (R-Randolph) has put sex offenders on notice with sweeping legislation that overhaul the penalties and deterrents for sex offenders and predators. For many years sex offenders have been slapped on the wrist for their heinous, soul-scarring crimes. It is past time for this to stop and Senator Barnes has the legislation to do it.

Some of the reforms include:

• Requiring notification to all residences within 500 feet of a sex offender’s address.
• Supervised electronic monitoring is mandatory for repeat offenders who do not comply with registration and mandatory for violent sexual offenders.
• Pre-trial release is denied if the individual is a registered sex offender, has a previous sexual conviction, and/or has been declared a sexually violent offender.
• Prohibition from employment or voluntary work involving children under 18 years old.
• Once convicted, a sex offender’s driver’s license is taken from him by the court and he is instructed to obtain a specially marked license from the DMV that indicates he is a sex offender.
• Life imprisonment without parole for 2nd and subsequent sexual offense convictions.
• Increased penalties/prison time for all sexual crimes involving children.
• If a sex offender is deemed by the court as likely to commit his crimes again, the court can commit that person to an institution for life. A board reviews his case every year to see if the individual still needs incarceration.

As the chart illustrates, this legislation goes far beyond anything the Democrats or the Governor has introduced.

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The Democrats are always reticent to pass any legislation of importance if a Republican is the lead sponsor. They will either ignore the bill or steal the idea and introduce their own identical legislation to pass. That is why you must call your legislator and tell them that our children are more important than petty politics and you want them to pass the “Protect our Children Act” (Senate Bill 276).