Pippy Bill to Expand Sex Offender Information on Megan's Law Site Heads to Governor
Would add other provisions to protect children from predators, punish employers who shield abusers.

Harrisburg – The state Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Sen. John Pippy (R-37) that would greatly expand information on sex offenders listed on the state Megan's Law web site, and impose criminal liability of employers who fail to act on known abuses.

The bill will be sent to the governor to be signed into law.

"Passage of this legislation is a huge step toward protecting children and communities from some of the most insidious crimes imaginable," said Pippy. "We will add new, more useful information to the state web site tracking sex offenders, and we'll hold accountable employers who fail to act when they know an employee is abusing children."

Senate Bill 1054 authorizes the Pennsylvania State Police to include the following additional information on its Megan's Law website:

Special designation when the victim is a minor
Street address, municipality and name of prison (if incarcerated) where the registrant resides
Municipality and name of school where enrolled as a student
Municipality of any employer
Description of offense
Date of offense and date of conviction
Physical description of the registrant
Whether the registrant is in compliance with Megan's Law

Presently, addresses of only offenders designated as a "sexually violent predator" are listed on the web site. The remainder includes only county, hometown and zip code.

The address for the Pennsylvania Megan's Law site is www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us.

Closing a loophole in current law, the bill imposes criminal liability on employers or supervisors of abusers who knew of the abuse, but failed to act, or who concealed the abuse.

The bill also increases the statute of limitations for sexual criminal offenses when committed against a victim under the age of 18. Victims of child-sex crimes would have until their 50th birthday to file criminal complaints – up from age 30.

"The overwhelming evidence shows that one of the best ways to protect children and communities from sexual offenders is to arm parents and families with information. This legislation will provide that," said Pippy. "It's also vital that Pennsylvania close loopholes that allowed employers to look the other way when abuse was suspected, and provide victims with more time to come forward. This comprehensive legislation takes these important steps."

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CONTACT: Matt Campion (717) 787-5839

Pippy Bill to Expand Sex Offender Information on Megan's Law Site Heads to Governor Would add other provisions to protect children from predators, punish employers who shield abusers.

Pippy Bill to Expand Sex Offender Information on Megan's Law Site Heads to Governor
Would add other provisions to protect children from predators, punish employers who shield abusers.