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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Flo Fabrizio |
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Fabrizio asks public for help in push for tougher child predator law
HARRISBURG, Oct. 10 – State Rep. Flo Fabrizio, D-Erie, said his constituents can play an active role in helping to enact a law to bolster the protection of Pennsylvania children from sexual predators.
Fabrizio is co-sponsoring a bill (H.B. 1803) that would tighten Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law restrictions on convicted child sex offenders.
He has launched a petition drive on his Web-site and in his constituent service office to allow residents to urge the General Assembly to act promptly and approve strengthening law enforcement’s ability to crack down on child sexual predators.
The prime feature of the proposed legislation would close a loophole in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code that currently allows individuals convicted of soliciting minors on the Internet to escape the requirements of Megan’s Law.
In addition, the measure would:
o Prohibit a person who commits a sexual offense against a victim who is under 13 from living within 2,500 feet of any public, private or parochial K-6 school, or any licensed day-care center, public park or public swimming pool. Currently, Pennsylvania has no proximity requirement for registered sex offenders.
o Require a person convicted of a sexual offense against a minor to wear a 24-hour-a-day electronic monitor when on probation or supervised release.
o Allow the district attorney of the county where a released child sexual offender plans to live to testify at the offender’s parole board hearing.
o Empower state police to run twice-annual random verification of the addresses of sexually violent predators and confirm their compliance with counseling requirements. The random checks would supplement quarterly scheduled appointments.
“As evidenced daily in the news, our children are at almost constant risk of being targeted by sexual victimizers, especially those who lurk on the Internet,” said Fabrizio. “Every day the loophole remains in Megan’s Law is an opportunity for a child predator to be able to slip through the cracks and go on the prowl again.”
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Fabrizio noted that soon after the introduction of the bill, the state Attorney General’s Office released the results of an audit that reinforced the need to revisit Megan’s Law to address the weaknesses discussed in the audit and targeted by the legislation.
The audit found that, over 10 years, Pennsylvania lost track of more than 300 child sex offenders, and additional communications and technology must be involved to adequately counter the predators.
“By signing on to this petition, either by e-mail or in person, individuals can give me ammunition to take back to my colleagues in Harrisburg and show them this is something the public wants and they want action as soon as possible,” Fabrizio said.
Fabrizio’s Web site is at www.pahouse.com/Fabrizio. People without Internet access who want to sign the petition can write or stop by Fabrizio’s office at 1216 W. 26th St., Erie, PA 16508.
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |