(Michele Fiore) – Could you or I be labeled as a sexual offender and forced to register online under the new laws that the federal government is trying to enact?
This Saturday, 9am to 10am, don’t miss “Walk the Talk with Michele Fiore”, on KDWN 720AM. Attorney Maggie McLetchie, Senator Tick Segerblom, and Assemblyman David Gardner will join me to discuss sex offender laws, Assembly Bill 208 and Senate Bill 99.
We have gotten in the habit of using the term “sex offender” to describe someone who has committed a variety of crimes ranging from streaking or urinating in public to rape. It is time that we make sure the penalty fits the crime, and that starts by changing how we define a sexual offense.
AB 208 will revise the current definition of what constitutes a sexual offense to include only offenses that have created a risk to the public. It also gives our judges more decision power to determine whether a non-sexual offender needs to register as a sex offender. While some people were afraid to get involved with this bill, I decided to charge forward and be a primary sponsor on it. To me, this bill is not about sex offenders; it’s about public safety and creating clarity within our laws.
Senate Bill 99, a bill I am joint-sponsoring with Senator Tick Segerblom, will work to repeal the Adam Walsh Act in Nevada. Only 17 states have passed laws to implement this federal act, which places all sex offenders on the sex offender registry, regardless of their crime. Because of this, it has become nearly impossible to differentiate between a violent rapist and a teenage streaker. We’re seeing consequences of this nationwide, such as the Alabama boy who took his life because he was told he would be listed on the sex offenders database for streaking at a high school football game.
Under the Adam Walsh Act everyone who has pled guilty to one of these crimes, as far back as 1958, will be treated the same, and will be forced to register online as a sex offender.
This is another over-reaching federal law that just doesn’t fit for Nevada. There is so much happening in Carson City, and it’s important we pay attention to what is being presented on the floor. The laws being proposed are for your protection and quality of life; make sure they are written in your favor.
Tune in tomorrow morning for Walk the Talk at 9am on KDWN720AM to learn more. This is not a radio show you’re going to want to miss.
Assemblywoman Michele Fiore represents Clark County Assembly District 4 (Las Vegas) and was reelected to her 2nd term in 2014. Michele has lived in Nevada since 1993. For more information about her, please visit www.votefiore.com.
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