For Immediate Release
February 13, 2002
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For Immediate Release |
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Campus Sex Offender Registration Bill Sent To Governor
Nashville, TN-Convicted sex offenders would be required to register with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation when they become a student at or begin working on a college or university campus under legislation approved by the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday night, and by the state Senate last week. The bill will also make this information available to campus police and the public better empowering them to prevent sex crimes.
The “Tennessee College & University Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2002” (HB 561/SB 917) sponsored by state Representative Jim Boyer (R-Corryton) and state Senator Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) now awaits approval by the Governor.
“This helps complete the work that began with Megan's Law,” said Senator Burchett. “I think we should make every effort to keep convicted sex offenders away from our children whatever the costs. The courts have ruled that these sex offender registration lists are legal. We need to use them to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Current law provides local law enforcement with information on sexual offenders, but campus police do not receive it. This situation allows a convicted sex offender to be enrolled in a school or to work on a campus, even at a campus day care facility or as a grade-school tutor, while campus police are kept in the dark. This legislation would empower campus police by providing them with information to help keep track of these individuals.
“This will give our campus security officers the information they need to protect students and employees who work there,” said Representative Boyer. Under the bill campus police will be notified by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation about every registered sex offender who begins working, volunteering or studying on the campus. If the campus doesn’t have a police department, the local police will be notified instead.
The legislation was praised by campus safety advocates. “Closing this loophole will help to make Tennessee’s college and university campuses safer places,” said S. Daniel Carter the Knoxville based Senior Vice President of Security On Campus, Inc. a national non-profit campus safety and victims’ rights organization.
If approved by the Governor, Tennessee will be only the second state in the nation to adopt comprehensive legislation requiring the registration of sex offenders on campus. California adopted similar legislation last year, and under new federal guidelines all states have until this October to do so or risk losing ten percent of their federal criminal justice grant money.
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