Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) today joined his Assembly minority colleagues and called for renewal of a provision of the state Sex Offender Registry, part of Megan’s Law approved in 1996.

A 10-year registration mandate for certain Level 1 and 2 sex offenders is set to lapse on January 21, and would allow the data about 168 of the predators to be dropped from the registry on that day alone. By year’s end, more than 3,500 sex offenders could be free from registering for the list if the law is not amended.

“As I begin the 2006 legislative session, I will focus a majority of my time and energy on protecting the families and children in the 149th Assembly District by supporting exactly this type of legislation,” said Giglio. “Frankly, I don’t think we, as public servants, have a choice when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities. We must err on the side of caution. The threat of sex offenders is all too real, and the Assembly minority conference stands ready to keep the pressure on the Assembly majority until we know these criminals are being carefully monitored and safely distant from our women and children.”