FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Rick Taylor D-Montgomery www.pahouse.com/taylor

Taylor completes package to put more muscle behind Megan's Law 

HARRISBURG, June 19 – State Rep. Rick Taylor, D-Montgomery, today announced he has completed introduction of his package of legislation that would greatly enhance protection of Pennsylvania children from sexual predators.

"Our Megan's Law needs a more comprehensive approach to improve it, rather than a piecemeal approach, and my bills would give our children much greater, all-inclusive security from sexual offenders," Taylor said.

Taylor built the package of eight bills from input generated by his original introduction of a Megan's Law-tightening measure (H.B. 1803) last September. Taylor said the bill generated considerable interest and comments from law enforcement officials, victim advocates and child-abuse prevention experts, as well as meetings with dozens of district attorneys and experts on the federal Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act.

"The package I'm proposing would give Pennsylvania tools that would be far more comprehensive for tracking child sexual predators, especially those who have recently been released after serving time for their crime," Taylor said. "We must especially have countermeasures in place when the risk of recidivism is greatest."

The eight new bills include measures that would:

· Close the loophole in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code that prevents offenders convicted of solicitation or conspiracy involving a minor from being subject to Megan’s Law registration. It would make conspiracy or solicitation for a sexually violent crime an offense requiring residential registration with state police for 10 years. (H.B. 2526)

· Require offender monitoring that includes global positioning system technology for the duration of his/her probation or parole and make it a misdemeanor for the individual to tamper with the electronic monitoring device. (H.B. 2527)

· Require monitoring of an offender's Internet use for the duration of his/her probation or parole if the Internet contributed to the commission of the crime and make it a misdemeanor for an individual to tamper with or circumvent monitoring hardware or software. (H.B. 2528)

· Allow polygraph testing on sexual offenders during their probation or parole. (H.B. 2529)

· Forbid sexually violent predators, for the duration of their probation or parole, from living within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, a licensed day-care center, or a public park, playground or swimming pool. (H.B. 2530)

· Make it a misdemeanor for an individual to maliciously prowl or loiter around a school, playground licensed day-care center, public park or swimming pool. (H.B. 2531)

· Make it a misdemeanor for a person registered under Megan's Law to intentionally loiter around a school, playground, licensed day-care center, school bus stop, public park or swimming pool. (H.B. 2531)

· Require state police to electronically track offenders not subject to probation or parole conditions if they are without a residence or were convicted of a sexually violent crime against a minor. (H.B. 2612)

· Require state police to monitor the Internet usage of offenders not subject to probation or parole if Internet use was a factor in their crime. (H.B. 2613)

"With the changes proposed in my bills and ensuring that the system works as well as humanly possible, we can make Pennsylvania one of the most aggressive states in the nation when it comes to protecting our children," Taylor added.

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