Governor Signs Two Sex Offender Bills by Assemblymember Lieu

(Sacramento, CA) – At a signing ceremony at the Capitol today, Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 1900 (Lieu) and SB 1128 (Alquist), two measures to protect children from dangerous sex offenders. Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D – Torrance), who spoke at the ceremony, is the author of AB 1900 and a co-author of SB 1128.

“I am proud to have worked on both of these bills, which, taken together, will constitute one of the strongest laws in the nation to protect children. These bills increase penalties for sexual predators who target children, and provide additional tools for law enforcement to catch them,” stated Lieu. ”It will also help keep them off the streets and ensure the safety of our communities.”

AB 1900 closes a glaring loophole in California’s current sex offender laws. Existing law prohibits a person who is required to register as a sex offender for a crime against a child from being an employee or volunteer where the person would be working alone with a minor. The law, however, does not preclude a person convicted of the same crime from employing children or working with children as an independent contractor. So, for example, a sex offender who owns his own photography business, or is an independent contractor hired as a Santa Claus may work alone with children. AB 1900 solves this problem.

SB 1128 is a comprehensive, risk based, pro-active approach to protecting children from sex offenders. In addition to providing tougher penalties for dangerous sexual predators who victimize children, it gives law enforcement more tools to pursue and track these sex offenders.

Several provisions that were previously in AB 1900, such as expanding the Megan’s Law database, were moved into SB 1128 so that the two bills would not conflict if the Governor signed both.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the sponsor of AB 1900, cheered the signing. “My gratitude to Assemblymember Lieu and the Governor for changing these statutes and strengthening our children’s safety,” he said. “This was one of those areas of law that fail the common sense test. If a company cannot employ a sex offender to work with children, then offenders certainly should not be able to work with them by becoming their own employer.”

SB 1128 and AB 1900 have the support of law enforcement, victims groups, and women’s and children’s advocates. They will become law on January 1, 2007.