Wednesday, February 17, 2010

 

Sex Offender E-Disclosure Act Becomes Law

   Governor Signs Taylor/Jorgensen Bill to Supervise On-Line Activities of Offenders

(MADISON) Senator Lena C Taylor (D-Milwaukee) applauded the signing of Assembly Bill 323 – The Sex Offender E-Disclosure Act by Governor Doyle today after years of work on the bill. The bill, which requires sex offenders to report internet aliases, emails, and screen names to the DOC, was co-authored by Rep. Andy Jorgensen (D-Fort Atkinson). Taylor and Jorgensen have authored this legislation and fought partisan battles to move it forward since the 2007 session of the Legislature.

“Finally today, we are going to have tool available for DOC to track and supervise the on-line activity of sex offenders,” Taylor exclaimed. “The internet and electronic communication is a reality of our time and it, unfortunately, is used for predatory purposes. With this law, DOC will be able to better supervise this population and these predatory actions.”

The bill was the subject of intense partisan wrangling near the end of the 2007 session, as Republicans blocked every effort to bring the bill to the floor of Assembly*, despite unanimous passage in the Senate. The bill was revived in the 2009 session and passed unanimously through both houses of the Legislature.

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* Assembly 3-5-08 Motion to withdraw and take-up, failed 45-50

   Assembly 3-12-08 Motion to withdraw and take-up, failed 46-51