News from Annapolis March 26, 2010
Stronger Sex Offender Bills Advance
Dear Friends, As we approach the final two weeks of the Legislative Session, important bills clamping down on sex offenders passed the House of Delegates in time to meet a key deadline, smoothing their way in the Senate.Monday is the Opposite Chamber Bill Cross-over Deadline, the do-or-die point for bills in our legislative calendar. By Monday, each legislative chamber must send to the opposite chamber those bills it intends to pass. Fortunately, the following sex offender bills have been passed unanimously by the House and are set to be heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. All these bills are in response to the death of 11-year-old Sarah Foxwell of the Eastern Shore. The suspect arrested in the case was a registered sex offender who was out on bail at the time of Sarah's assault and murder.
HB289 Prohibits good time credits for child sex offenders. These credits would otherwise shorten time served. This applies to first- and second-degree sex offenses with children younger than 16.
HB473 Requiring "lifetime supervision" for the most violent and repeat sex offenders after they have served their sentences. Unfortunately, "lifetime" does not mean what it says. This bill says the judge must advise the offender at time of sentencing about "the length" of that supervision and allows the judge at a later time to hear petitions for discharge.
HB599 Similar to HB289, but applies to repeat offenders who have committed third-degree sexual contact with children younger than 16.
HB936 Includes additional crimes for which offenders must register for the sex offender registry list and includes provisions for homeless people who currently list no fixed address. Sets up tiers of offenses standardizing the way offenders are supervised in the community and described in the registry.
HB1046 Provides for use of Record of Arrest and Prosecution (RAP) sheets by judges in pre-trial release determination.
These laws, if passed, are an important step forward in preventing another Sarah Foxwell tragedy. However, all the laws in the world will not stop these sex crimes if the Administration and courts choose not to implement and enforce the laws. For more information on this week's legislative issues, you may want to read the Legislative Wrap-Up, prepared by the state Department of Legislative Services every Friday.
Each year, Ladies in Leadership has dinner with Governor Robert Ehrlich and Governor Marvin Mandel. This year was no exception. We met at Paul's Homewood Café to celebrate Governor Mandel's 90th birthday. Every year, these fascinating leaders in Maryland history share more about the challenges of being Governor and ways to be more effective as legislators.
