Post by Logan on Jun 18, 2016 7:48:09 GMT -6
Lawmakers rewriting child sex offense law to comply with judge’s ruling
RALEIGH -- State lawmakers are trying to restore parts of a 2008 law that prohibited sex offenders from being near children, after a federal judge struck down the provisions in April.
The law, known as the “Jessica Lunsford Act,” was part of a wave of similar legislation in many states toughening penalties on those who assault children. It followed the 2005 rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who had spent most of her life in Gaston County before moving to Florida, where she was killed.
North Carolina’s law was challenged in federal court, where U.S. District Judge James Beaty ruled that parts of it were unconstitutionally vague and overly broad, and he barred those provisions from being enforced.
Sen. Buck Newton, a Republican from Wilson, held a news conference Thursday to announce he was promoting a bill to address the judge’s findings while restoring the protections legislators intended. Newton presented a version of the bill in a Senate committee later in the day, and said it would be revised for the next meeting, on Tuesday.
Read more here: www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article84236202.html
There is a need for legislation to establish laws to protect children from sex offenders. Removing the vague language from the bill so that it passes constitutional muster is imperative.
RALEIGH -- State lawmakers are trying to restore parts of a 2008 law that prohibited sex offenders from being near children, after a federal judge struck down the provisions in April.
The law, known as the “Jessica Lunsford Act,” was part of a wave of similar legislation in many states toughening penalties on those who assault children. It followed the 2005 rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who had spent most of her life in Gaston County before moving to Florida, where she was killed.
North Carolina’s law was challenged in federal court, where U.S. District Judge James Beaty ruled that parts of it were unconstitutionally vague and overly broad, and he barred those provisions from being enforced.
Sen. Buck Newton, a Republican from Wilson, held a news conference Thursday to announce he was promoting a bill to address the judge’s findings while restoring the protections legislators intended. Newton presented a version of the bill in a Senate committee later in the day, and said it would be revised for the next meeting, on Tuesday.
Read more here: www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article84236202.html
There is a need for legislation to establish laws to protect children from sex offenders. Removing the vague language from the bill so that it passes constitutional muster is imperative.