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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 8, 2013 03:27 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative David S. Hickernell |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Residence of Sex Offenders - Megan's Law (Former House Bill 834, 2011-2012 Legislative Session) |
| I am planning to re-introduce legislation which would amend the Judicial Code by adding a new subsection to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law that will place limitations on the residence of individuals convicted of certain sex offenses. Specifically, the legislation provides that no adult or unrelated juvenile criminal sex offender subject to the registration requirements shall establish a residence or other living accommodation in a residence where another criminal sex offender resides who is also subject to the registration requirements. Any owner, lessor or lessee who knowingly or intentionally violates this provision shall be guilty of a summary offense and subject to a mandatory fine of $2,500, which shall be payable to the Megan’s Law Section of the Pennsylvania State Police. By way of background, this legislation was drafted to address a housing situation occurring in the district I represent where three registered sex offenders were permitted to reside together in a residential neighborhood. As you can imagine, this situation has outraged members of the community, who learned of the situation after seeing the offenders’ photographs and home addresses listed on the Megan’s Law website. Despite the issuance of a cease and desist order by the municipality, (relying on an ordinance which prohibits more than four unrelated people plus the homeowner from living in a single-family home), the property owner refused to evict these tenants. Currently, there are no statutory provisions prohibiting homeowners and landlords from knowingly allowing more than one registered sex offender to share a residence. Previous Cosponsors: Hickernell, Clymer, D. Costa, Cutler, Fleck, Gingrich, Goodman, Grove, Harris, Hennessey, Killion, Kula, Moul, Rapp, Scavello, Stern, Taylor, Watson, Micozzie and Murt |
Introduced as HB614