Senate Democrats’ Patronage Protection Bill Defeated

State Senator David Myers is once again working to ensure that more governmental entities have access to the Sex Offender Registry. The legislator is author of Senate Bill 1707 which will require that the Registry be provided to the state Commissioner of Health for distribution. The measure passed unanimously today in the Senate.

"This is just another safeguard in our fight to protect the public from sexual predators," said Myers. "We made huge gains last year when my other bill was passed that provided the Registry to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. That measure helped protect our youth in our public schools and SB 1707 will help protect our vulnerable seniors living in nursing facilities."

Under provisions of the legislation, the Commissioner of Health would have authorization to distribute information from the Registry to any nursing home or long-term care facility. Myers noted that his bill was necessary because last year a bill passed requiring local police departments to distribute the list to nursing homes. However, that is not possible in smaller communities because they do not have police departments.

"There have been so many stories in the news about elderly people being sexually abused in nursing homes and that needs to stop. Families trust these facilities with their loved ones and they shouldn't have to worry about leaving them alone because they fear for their safety. I see this measure as peace of mind for these families," said Myers.

The Department of Corrections maintains the Sex Offender Registry and currently makes that information available to all state, county, municipal and college campus law enforcement agencies, as well as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the National Sex Offender Registry maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

SB 1707 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.