The Alabama Senate unanimously passed measures to tighten the state's existing sex offender registration law Thursday. The bill is now headed to Governor Robert Bentley's desk for approval.
The new requirements would prohibit a sex offender who abused a sibling from living under the same roof as the person they abused. Homeless offenders would have to register weekly with law enforcement until they secure a permanent address. All offenders would have to supply extra information to be made public, under the proposed law.
But the measure that Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says is long overdue: the $250 offender registration payment.
"Every time an individual moves, we have to notify the area where they're moving, and there's an expense involved each time."
Federal law mandates the sheriff's office track sex offenders, an endeavor that involves software and fees.
"The public wants to know, and they need to know in regard to these individuals in their neighborhoods, but it can be an expensive proposition at some point," Jones said.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office has a web resource to help citizens track offenders in their area: http://www.leecountysheriff.org/sexual_offenders/.
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