State Representative Ruth Fahrbach

Earlier during this legislative session, the House Republicans offered a comprehensive plan to promote child safety. The ‘Around the Block, Around the Clock’ initiative consisted of a package of bills to beef up school security, expand the state’s child identity system to allow more opportunities for parents to give more critical information to local law enforcement agencies, and make more information regarding the whereabouts of registered sex offenders available on the Internet.

Just last week, the House of Representatives passed H.B. 7085, An Act Concerning the Statute of Limitations for Prosecution of Certain Sexual Offenders. Part of the bill included and amendment that will require the Risk Assessment Board to determine which convicted sexual predators can or can not live within 1,000 feet of elementary schools, secondary schools, or daycare facilities. That initiative was a part of the House Republicans’ ‘Around the Block, Around the Clock’ proposal.

The remainder of H.B. 7085 addressed other methods to clamp down on convicted sex offenders to help protect our children. If signed into law, the bill will require sex offenders to provide their personal e-mail and instant message addresses to the Commissioner of Public Safety, create a class C felony for misrepresentation of age to entice a minor, and mandate that computer repair servicemen report suspected child abuse, if applicable.

According to the Department of Public Safety, there are more than 4,100 registered sex offenders in Connecticut. Persons required to register under Connecticut’s sex offender registry laws must verify their address every 90 days. Failure to do so could result in a Class D felony charge. In 2005, there were 319 investigations launched by the Department of Public Safety, resulting in 196 arrests for violations regarding the sex offender registry.

Last week, the state Senate unanimously approved Jessica’s law, which would create a 25-year minimum prison sentence for perpetrators convicted of aggravated sexual assault. The law, which was also passed unanimously by the House of Representatives, will create a new charge of aggravated sexual assault for crimes perpetrated against victims under the age of 13 who were kidnapped or seriously injured in the attack. Those convicted of this crime would face a prison sentence of not less than 25 or more than 50 years.

If you have any questions or comments regarding proposed bills aimed at keeping our kids safe that are before the legislature, please call my office at 240-8700.

Rep. Ruth Fahrbach represents the 61^st District, including Suffield, and parts of Windsor and East Granby, in the General Assembly.