Sex offender; prohibition of entry onto school or child day care center property. (HB1366)

Introduced By

Del. Ben Cline (R-Amherst)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Prohibition of entry onto school or day care property.  Rewrites language in the code section prohibiting entry onto school property and child day care center property by persons convicted of sexually violent offenses to make it abundantly clear that entry onto day care property is prohibited 24 hours a day. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
01/22/2010Committee
01/22/2010Presented and ordered printed 10104013D
01/22/2010Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/27/2010Assigned Courts sub: #1 Criminal
02/08/2010Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 1-N)
02/16/2010Left in Courts of Justice

Comments

L.L., tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

The current statute prevents former offenders from being on school or childcare/daycare center property during school hours AND during any school-related activities. This bill would prevent offenders from being on the property of any church AT ANY TIME that operated a daycare on weekdays. This will prevent offenders from participating in worship activities as well as prevent attendance at community meetings, including AA/NA meetings (often mandated by the court). Is it really the goal to prevent former offenders from exercising their religion or participating in therapeutic services? Just what we need - heathen drunks with a history of sexual offending.

Mary writes:

By changing the phrasing of the current statute this Bill would prevent ANY Registered Sex Offender from attending church or temple even in the evenings or on the weekends.

AS LL stated this Bill will prevent ANY Registered Sex Offender from attending substance abuse meeting or ANY Court Appointed classes or sessions that are at a facility with a daycare even though it’s not open. So how would they meet the requirement set by the court?

This Bill will prevent ALL Registered Sex Offenders in Virginia from their Freedom to Worship.

A similar Bill was proposed in 2008 by Delegate Crockett-Stark, but an amendment was made that added the words “during school hours and during school-related and school-sponsored activities” allowing RSO’s to attend church and temple.

This years HB1366 will undo ALL of that.

This Bill will take away 16,600 Virginians Freedom of Religion!

In December 2009 a North Carolina Court found this restriction unconstitutional.

Wife of an offender writes:

Both Mary and LL have really highlighted the dangers of this bill. I pray that the committee uses proper discernment when they address all that this bill contains and that they truly understand and appreciate the fact that this bill, as well as most of the others that have been introduced, will hurt thousands of families WITH children. The retroactive nature of these laws have resulted in unfairly imposing consequences on innocent people based on the actions of a few. I do not understand how this practice has become acceptable in our Legislature.

robert legge writes:

But wife-As long as pols think this kind of thing looks good on their resume, these bills will get brought up. They don't even have to pass for them to brag that they tried.

marshamaines writes:

"offenders" whom have already paid their dues to society should not be penalized from actively participating in their own children's lives. Wipe the slate clean...why look for ways to TARGET groups of people to implement segregation? Everybody makes mistakes - people shouldn't have to pay for them over and over and over again. How does this bill REALLY benefit "children"?

KA writes:

So if you are a certain faith and it has a daycare center and there is no church of the same faith close by then you are dictating what type of religion they can practice. I thought our Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom to worship.

Stephen writes:

The Drug dealers must of been complaining about a lack of seats in schools.