FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/14/04
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Senate Votes to Strengthen Pennsylvania Megan's Law

Public will now have right to know about whereabouts of nearly 7,000 convicted sex offenders

HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania Auditor General Robert P. Casey, Jr. today praised the State Senate for approving legislation that will strengthen Pennsylvania's Megan's Law.

The Senate Rules Committee last night unanimously approved an amendment to Senate Bill 92 that will finally give families access to information about thousands of convicted sex offenders that are living in their communities. The amendment also ensures that sex offenders who move into the Commonwealth will not escape public notification requirements imposed on them by other states. The Senate unanimously approved the bill early this morning, and Casey said he is confident that the House will also pass the bill this weekend.

For months, Casey and his staff have worked with a bipartisan group of legislators and Rendell administration officials, including Lt. Janet McNeal, the new head of the State Police Megan's Law unit, to improve Pennsylvania's Megan's Law. The group was formed after Casey in April exposed serious deficiencies in the law, including the fact that less than one-half of one percent of the state's 7,000 sex offenders are subject to community notification requirements.

Casey said that the changes in this legislation will finally give Pennsylvania's Megan's Law the teeth the General Assembly intended when it enacted the legislation. At that time, it was believed that, "If the public is provided adequate notice and information about sexually violent predators and certain other offenders, the community can develop constructive plans to prepare themselves and their children for the offender's release."

"Strengthening Pennsylvania's Megan's Law to require increased disclosure about the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders will have a direct - and potentially life-saving - benefit on children, families, and communities across our Commonwealth," Casey said. "I applaud the commitment of Governor Rendell, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller, Lt. McNeal, and many members of the General Assembly, especially the four chairs of the Judiciary Committees, Senators Stewart Greenleaf and Jay Costa, and Representatives Dennis O'Brien and Kevin Blaum, who worked to expand this law and help families better protect themselves from convicted sex offenders."

Casey also commended the advocacy of parents and community leaders who also pointed out problems with Pennsylvania's Law, especially Pennsylvanians for Megan's Law and Richard and Maureen Kanka. Megan's Law is named for seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was brutally raped and murdered in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender who had moved across the street from her family without their knowledge. "The Kanka's passionate advocacy for protecting children has been an inspiration to us and others across the country," Casey said.

Senate Bill 92 requires the State Police, under the guidance of the Governor, to list all convicted sex offenders registered under Megan's Law on the Internet. Because of this change, families will finally be able to access the names, addresses, location of employment or enrollment as a student, photographs, and description of offenses for nearly 7,000 sex offenders.

For sexually violent predators, the exact street address of residence will be shown, along with city, county and zip code. For all other offenders who are required to register under Megan's Law, the Internet will show the offender's city, county, and zip code of residence.

The amended legislation approved by the Senate also ensures that sex offenders from other states who move into Pennsylvania cannot escape public notification requirements imposed by the state in which they were convicted. When this legislation is enacted, any offender who is subject to "active notification" (meaning that communities, schools, and other entities are informed when this offender moves into the area) is subject to both active and "passive notification" (meaning that information is made available on the Internet) in Pennsylvania. In addition, offenders who are subject to passive notification in another jurisdiction will now be subject to passive notification in Pennsylvania.

In response to another problem identified by Casey, the amendment to Senate Bill 92 also requires the State Police to notify local law enforcement agencies when an offender or predator who lived, was employed, or was enrolled as a student in the local jurisdiction moves to another municipality. Casey said this change will help local and state police to better target their resources to protect families.

Casey is completing work on another performance audit of Pennsylvania's Megan's Law. His final report will provide additional information on how the State Police meets its responsibility to track, monitor, and notify communities about sexually violent predators. His auditors are following up on the agency's performance since last April when he released his first report, as well as how well the agency meets notification requirements set by current law.

In a related matter, the Department of the Auditor General has appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court a Commonwealth Court decision that denies the Auditor General access to additional information on sexual offenders which he needs to complete a performance audit of all offenders registered under Megan's Law

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