For Immediate Release
October 11, 2000
The new "Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act" will, beginning in 2002, require states to ask every sex offender registered under "Megan’s Law" if they are enrolled at or employed by a college or university. State governments will then provide that information to the school’s police department or a local police department with jurisdiction for the campus. Schools will be obligated to tell their students and employees every year how they can obtain the information.
"Students will now be better equipped to protect themselves from sexual predators," said S. Daniel Carter, the vice-president of Security On Campus, Inc. a national non-profit campus security organization that helped develop the legislation.
A grant program providing up to $10 million annually to prevent violence against women on campuses was also extended through 2005.
The provisions were included in the "Violence Against Women Act" reauthorization section of the "Sexual Trafficking Victims Protection Act" (H.R. 3244). Both the House & Senate had passed this bill previously and this was the final "conference report" reconciling differences between the two versions. The President is expected to sign the package.
The campus sex offender reporting provisions were originally sponsored by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).
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The complete text of the campus security provisions is available at…
http://campussafety.org/publicpolicy/congress/106/hr3244txt.html
Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act-
Amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to require sex offenders already required to register in a State to provide notice, as required under State law, or each institution of higher education in that State at which the person is employed, carried on a vocation, or is a student. Requires that state procedures ensure that this registration information is promptly made available to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction where the institutions of higher education are located and that it is entered into appropriate State records or data systems. These changes take effect 2 years after enactment.
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to issue a statement, in addition to other disclosures required under that Act, advising the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by a State concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. This change takes effect 2 years after enactment.
Amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to clarify that nothing in that Act may be construed to prohibit an educational institution from disclosing information provided to the institution concerning registered sex offenders; requires the Secretary of Education to take appropriate steps to notify educational institutions that disclosure of this information is permitted.
source-H.R. 3244 Conference Report