Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli (D-Syracuse) announced today that the Assembly and Senate have reached an agreement on legislation that strengthens Megan’s Law, which requires convicted sex offenders of all levels to register with the state.

“This agreement makes sure that the most dangerous sex offenders will remain registered for life,” Magnarelli said. “Megan’s Law has been an effective tool in tracking sex offenders, and must be extended before hundreds of sex offenders disappear under the disguise of friendly neighbors,”

Under the agreement, Megan’s Law will contain stricter registration requirements. Specifically:

• Level 1 (“low-risk”) offenders will now be required to register for 20 years instead of 10;
• Level 2 (“moderate-risk”) offenders will be registered for life, with the ability to petition to come off the list only after 30 years; and
• Level 3 (“high-risk”) offenders will remain registered for life with no chance for removal; under current law, Level 3 offenders can petition to be removed from the list early. However, the Assembly and Senate’s agreement eliminates that possibility.

Magnarelli said that the measure comes at a critical time, when some low- and moderate-risk sex offenders’ registrations would expire later this month. This agreement keeps sex offenders from being removed from the state registry after initial registration periods expire, beginning January 21.

The federal government is currently working to create a national Megan’s Law registry, which would supersede state law. Because of this, the Assembly has cautioned against taking action that could violate federal legislation and potentially cause the state to lose tens of millions of federal dollars. To make sure this doesn’t happen and to safeguard funds, the bill recognizes future revisions to Megan’s Law may be necessary to meet new federal standards.

“Keeping dangerous sex offenders on the state’s registry for life will ensure that no predators will slip through the cracks,” Magnarelli said. “I urge the governor to quickly sign the Legislature’s Megan’s Law extension to further protect our families and communities from sexual predators.”