H.R. 1623 would protect children from sexual exploitation by mandating reporting requirements for convicted sex traffickers and other sex offenders against minors intending to engage in international travel, providing advance notice of intended travel by high risk sex offenders outside the United States to the government of the country of destination, preventing entry into the United States by any foreign sex offender against a minor.
Detailed Summary
International Megan's Law of 2009 - Requires registered sex offenders to notify appropriate jurisdictions of their intent to travel not later than 21 days before their departure or arrival in the United States. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years for failure to report such travel.
Requires diplomatic or consular missions in each foreign country to establish and maintain a countrywide sex offender registry for sex offenders from the United States who temporarily or permanently reside in such country.
Directs the Commissioner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue directives for the assessment of sex offenders whose travel is reported to determine whether such offenders are high risk sex offenders.
Directs the President to establish the International Sex Offender Travel Center to monitor the travel of high risk sex offenders.
Authorizes the Secretary of State to rescind the passports of individuals awaiting trial for a sex offense against a minor or a permanent resident who has been convicted of such an offense.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make convicted sex offenders inadmissible to the United States.
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to include in the annual report of the Secretary of State on the status of severe forms of human trafficking efforts of foreign countries to identify and provide notice of international travel by sex offenders.
Encourages the President to use authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to assist foreign countries in identifying and providing notice of sex offenders traveling to the United States and other countries.
Sets forth reporting requirements relating to the travel of international sex offenders and the implementation of this Act.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 4/27/2009: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
J. Williams
March 21, 2009, 3:59pm (report abuse)This is a terrible example of government out of control.
Just as the current Sex Offender Registration has not protected a single child but is just another feel good law that actually makes our society even more dangerous, this new international version will only push offenders further underground.
The cost to implement this poorly thought out bill and the inability to dictate the enforcement to foreign governments makes no sense and serves no purpose other than another Republican law maker trying to look tough on crime before their re-election.
It is very important to protect children but this law does nothing in furthering this cause and should be defeated and this legislator should be denounced for this type of activity.
Janice Albright
March 21, 2009, 4:05pm (report abuse)I agree with the comments above, we already have laws that deal with Sex Offenders very harshly, we need more treatment and less laws.
This law is focused on 1% of the 1% of current offenders and will make no safer, don't be fooled by these laws.
George
March 30, 2009, 1:35am (report abuse)This law will make it impossible for former sex offenders to travel to foreign countries on business, or to vacation out of the country.
It will prevent former sex offenders from expatriating.
It almost seems as if government wants to keep as many former sex offenders in America as possible!
Dr Nigel Leigh Oldfield
March 30, 2009, 1:49pm (report abuse)As a UK 'Sex Offender', this is not a great loss, as the USA is one of the last places on Earth I would wish to immigrate into.
Good luck on your next evolution - you are going to need it.
Dr Nigel Leigh Oldfield
Mandy
April 1, 2009, 2:00am (report abuse)That's right, George. We want our daughters molested by English speaking pedophiles only!
Lucy
April 30, 2009, 12:13pm (report abuse)Sexual offenders are HIGHLY apt to re-offend. I have never heard of a one time sexual offender. Some abuse people for years, and never get caught. Treatment won't stop their urges. I think this is good.
J. Williams
May 12, 2009, 5:07pm (report abuse)Lucy, your statement that "Sexual offenders are HIGHLY apt to re-offend" is part of mis-information that makes us all less educated on this issue.
Most studies show that Sex Offenders have the lowest recidivism rates, this is from the U.S. Department of Justice
"Released prisoners with the highest rearrest rates were robbers (70.2%), burglars (74.0%), larcenists (74.6%), motor vehicle thieves (78.8%), those in prison for possessing or selling stolen property (77.4%), and those in prison for possessing, using, or selling illegal weapons (70.2%).
Within 3 years, 2.5% of released rapists were arrested for another rape, and 1.2% of those who had served time for homicide were arrested for homicide. These are the lowest rates of re-arrest for the same category of crime".
Even though sex offenders account for the lowest recidivism rate they typically get most of the media attention and then law makers like the one on this bill decided that they need to look tough on crime.
Grant
May 23, 2009, 5:09pm (report abuse)Thanks for William's comment. It's great to get some actual facts about this matter. I'm a registered sex offender, and the psychologist I worked with for over a year told me he did not think I would reoffend, and neither do I! I've certainly learned my lesson, and I have a detailed plan to help me from reoffending. Further, the other sex offenders I've met, with one exceptions, all seemed to me to be unlikely to reoffend. I think that people who assume that all sex offenders sit around all day fighting urges to molest or rape people have a totally unrealistic understanding of this issue. Most of us rarely have such urges, and are capable of dealing with them appropriately. We need to be given a chance to become contributing members of society again. As it is, I don't know if I'll ever have a real job, health insurance, and money for retirement.
Peter
May 28, 2009, 10:16am (report abuse)The following definition for the word "protect" is from Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary: 1. To keep from harm, attack or injury: GUARD.
This law states that its intent is to protect children. Just how is it going to do that? This law is aimed at person who have all ready been caught and prosecuted for a sex offense. What about all the individuals who commit these offenses and have NOT been caught or prosecuted? Who is going to "protect anyone from them? By DOJ statistics only 1% of those convicted of a sex offense reoffend. {Check your Facts Judy}
This law will not protect anybody from anybody. This law is only an attemp by politicians to make people think that they are doing something to "protect the children" Most people will believe that lie. Politicians do only what they do to curry favor with the electorate to stay in office.
Kinbote
August 17, 2009, 10:41pm (report abuse)Because of Megan's Law and its very high stakes, I knew several hard-core but honest pedophiles in prison who vowed that any subsequent victims of theirs would be killed during or after the Act. I wonder how many murders and vanishings Megan's Law has inspired. Big problem, terrible "solution."
Big Bird
September 3, 2009, 4:55pm (report abuse)The majority of sex offenders ARE NOT people hiding in the bushes wearing a trench coat and floppy hat. They are the people in te bed next to you, or a family member, or a very close friend, or the Scout Leader, Pastor, Teacher or other relative.
Joel Steele
September 8, 2009, 8:26pm (report abuse)My cousin was convicted of a 1 year misdemeanor sex offense 10 years ago. The crime had a maximum punishment of 1 year. That's hardly enough to consider him a sex predator. His wife is an immigrant from another country, whose family still live in that country. Now the United States is trying to make it so my cousin can't visit his in-laws and nieces & nephews. How unfair the United States is. I am ashamed to be an American. In 1776 the thirteen colonies rebelled against a much more fair government than our current government. This current United States is a country that deserves to be hated. I am ashamed to be an American. The original United States of American does not exist.
Beyond
October 26, 2009, 6:01pm (report abuse)For a history of the laws and their social/political/ jurisprudential effects, see "Knowledge as Power: Criminal Registration and Community Notification Laws in America" (Stanford Univ. Press, 2009).
TG
October 31, 2009, 9:49am (report abuse)Simple question for Grant and those of you that personally know a sex offender: Did the punishment fit the crime?
KK
November 1, 2009, 7:49pm (report abuse)Are most of the people who are commenting on this members of NAMBLA or what? You act as though high-risk sex offenders (which is who this law is targeting) should have more rights than the innocent children that are already being victimized at astronomical rates! Our government/laws may not be perfect, but if you chose to victimize and exploit a child, you had better be perpared to face the consequences, even they last a lifetime. I think keeping our children safe from perversion is far more important than protecting convicted pedophiles from having their feelings hurt. Treatment is very important, but so is protecting our children.
Joe S.
November 6, 2009, 2:23am (report abuse)To TG: Usually not. We need to make the sentence(sentencing) fit the crime, instead of playing games with the liberties of supposedly free citizens. Using sex offenders to justify the erosion of liberties is already backfiring on us as measures designed for sex offenders continue to "scope creep". Add the fact that the very definition of "sex offender" itself continues to creep far beyond what most of us would consider reasonable (Sexting, consenting teens, etc).
To KK. It's not just this site, more and more you're seeing comments being flooded with people who appear to be "pro-sex offender". This is partly because the aforementioned "scope creep" is pulling more and more people into it's net. Thus we are, inadvertantly, making advocates. The actual hard core child predators that we all fear and loathe are riding their coat-tails. And the current laws are so count-productive that we're now forcing law enforcement and professionals to add their voices to these advocates.
CC
November 11, 2009, 9:49pm (report abuse)Most of the sentencing for sex offenders is unfair. Im personaly looking at 20-30 years for posession of child pornograpy. Others with the same charge get probation. I know one that didn't even have to register it got changed to child abuse. By the time I am convicted i will have spent about a year and a half in treatment. In jail there is no treatment. I will be released with no place to go. Possibly no family leagaly able to live under a bridge. with no job and having to pay for treatment every week.
As far as other crimes my ex-boss has a violent criminal history 30-some arrests for assualt his last was attemted murder. He had put a man in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. Sentance 5 years.
My 20-30 is basically a deal according to my state I should be getting apox 750 years. Does this seem fair.
If no jail.The average person will not hire a sex offender.My current job is construction for a contractor. If the job is out of the county I Cant do the job.
One Opposed for a reason
November 18, 2009, 9:07pm (report abuse)I see all of what is being discussed here, And I feel that the only ones who this should really effect are those who do traffic children and/or are child molesters. Anyone who has previously been a sex offender (of neither of the above categories) that has desired to want to do and be better (and for all the proper reasons), and wants to permanently leave the country to that end should be allowed to do so. Only the traffikers & molesters shouldn't be allowed that. Unless of course our "forward-thinking" Politicians Just want to wipe them out also. Anyone care to comment?