Legislative Session 2021 Bill Tracker

Below are the bills we have been tracking this legislative session. This page will be updated daily with any new information regarding these bills. To read the full text of these bills, go to http://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/BillFinder/Number. Bill Number Subject/Title Sponsor(s) LJC’s Position Committee/Status Date Scheduled HB 31 MILITARY JUSTICE CODE SEX CRIMES DEFINITIONS Sariñana (D) Neutral Passed House, Passed Senate HB…

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Laws based on inaccuracies lead to lifetime of shame for those who offended as juveniles

By Kristan N. Russell and Shawn C. Marsh . . . Few crimes stimulate such visceral reactions and deep-seated fears as sexual offenses. Accordingly, societal responses to sexual offending such as registration and notification laws tend to be quite punitive and highly stigmatizing for the offender. Yet these social control practices are widely considered by the public to be essential for community safety. However,…

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Michigan SORA changes signed into law

By Beth LaBlanc . . . Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed a bill that would eliminate school safety zones and certain appearance requirements in Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Act. The changes, made to comply with federal court orders that called the current law unenforceable, were among 80 bills passed by the Legislature during its lame duck session and signed by Whitmer…

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Those on registry can’t be categorically excluded rules CA Supreme Court

In re Gadlin, S254599 (CASC) Opinion Released 12-28-20 By Larry . . . This appeal was handled by Janice Bellucci, an attorney in California, who is well known for her work on behalf of those required to register. The case arises as a result of a ballot proposition approved by California voters in 2016. Proposition 57, known as the Public…

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Ninth Circuit Reinstates SORA Challenge in Idaho

By Larry . . . This case consisted of a group of 134 plaintiffs who had filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho. Their complaint raised a number of claims challenging many aspects of Idaho’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA). The trial judge granted the state’s motion to dismiss the complaint. The case…

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Will Michigan legislature ever do right thing?

By William Buhl, J.J. Prescott, and Miriam Aukerman . . . In early 2012, more than eight years ago, five people challenged Michigan’s Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA) in court, arguing that the registry branded them as dangerous “sex offenders” without any individual review. One was a man — we’ll call him John — who met a woman at a club open only to those…

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