Dear Editor, The Senate continues to take action on bills strengthening laws against sex offenders, while identical Assembly bills languish. In the past, we have come together in the Assembly to pass vital legislation that would make our communities safer, and it is time to do so again. There are obvious loopholes in our current laws that sex offenders exploit to further prey on children and we must take action to end this. One such example involves a deficiency in Megan’s Law that fails to encourage sex offenders to register their current residency, leaving law enforcement in the dark as to their whereabouts. Non-compliance with the law is punishable only with a small penalty, a misdemeanor. Unfortunately, sex offenders across the state have violated the law multiple times and this can have disastrous consequences for our communities. We passed Megan’s Law to prevent sex offenders from roaming our streets; we should take steps to strengthen the law so we can achieve that objective. In addition, there is still no state law on the books that would prevent a released sex offender from living near a school or daycare center. We simply cannot end this year’s legislative session without passing vital measures that will make our communities safer. David G. McDonough
Member of Assembly
19th Assembly District