House OKs rules for sex offenders

WASHINGTON — Child sex offenders would be subject to stringent monitoring requirements and face new mandatory penalties under a House-passed bill that was expanded to include protections for gays and lesbians under federal hate-crime law.

The House voted 371-52 yesterday in favor of the Children's Safety Act, which, among its many provisions, creates a national Web site for child sex offenders and stipulates that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements. Among the Washington state delegation, only Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, voted against the bill.

Unexpectedly, the House voted 223-199 in favor of an amendment by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., that expands current hate-crime law to include some crimes involving sexual orientation, gender and disability. Under current law, the federal government assists local and state authorities in prosecuting limited types of crimes based on the victim's race, religion or ethnic background.

The House has been the chief obstacle in numerous previous attempts to expand hate-crimes law, and Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights group, said it was an "incredibly historic vote" that could give momentum to similar action in the Senate.

The sex-offender bill, which also requires felony offenders to register for life and authorizes the death penalty for sex crimes resulting in the killing of a child, responds to what House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said was a "national crisis" in child sex offenses. He said that of about 550,000 convicted sex offenders in the nation, the whereabouts of 100,000 are unknown.

"We track library books better than we do sexual predators," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla.

Sensenbrenner said he expected it to be signed into law by the end of the year.

Sex-offender bill


Among the provisions of the bill passed by the House:

Creates national Web site and requires states to notify federal government of any changes to an offender's registration information. Also requires states to notify each other when sex offender moves from one state to another.

Requires each state to maintain statewide Web site to include such information as offender's address, picture, vehicle and facts of conviction.

Broadens category of sex offenders to include any felony or misdemeanor sex offense against minors, juvenile sex offenses and possession of child pornography.

Requires felony sex offenders to register for life, and misdemeanor sex offenders for 20 years.

Creates a verification program under which a sex offender must report by mail every 30 days.

Ensures mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes against children, ranging from death or life imprisonment when a child is killed to 30 years in prison for crimes involving kidnapping, maiming or aggravated sexual abuse.

The Associated Press

Among the criticisms of the bill were that it could further ostracize people who have paid for their crimes and are trying to live normal lives. Out-of-jail offenders facing harassment or unable to get jobs "may just go underground and not bother to register again," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.

Among the many amendments accepted was one by Sensenbrenner that would help local law officials track down the estimated 15,000 sex offenders who may have relocated as a result of Hurricane Katrina.