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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tim Solobay |
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Solobay joins effort to toughen Megan’s Law
Invites constituents to join in the fight to protect children
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 – State Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, is co-sponsoring legislation (H.B. 183) designed to toughen Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law. He is now asking you to sign his online petition in support of the legislation.
Introduced by state Rep. Rick Taylor, D-Montgomery, the legislation would make adults convicted of soliciting a child through the Internet subject to the restrictions of Megan’s Law, including registering their address with local authorities.
“The more our children connect to the Internet, the greater the chance that they’ll encounter a sexual predator,” Solobay said. “This legislation would give our prosecutors the tools they need to keep tabs on all sexual predators, whether in our communities or in cyberspace.”
In addition, the legislation proposes to:
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.
Solobay invites his constituents to sign the petition on his Web site (www.pahouse.com/Solobay) so that this important piece of legislation has the power of the people behind it to move it swiftly through the legislature.
People without Internet access who want to sign the petition can write or stop by either of Solobay’s offices: Canonsburg Borough Building, Room 205, Canonsburg, PA 15371 or Washington City Hall, 55 W. Maiden St., Washington, PA 15301
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CONTACT: Lauren Rooney |