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Pearson: Funding Jessica's law, tough
child protection laws are top priority
Statement from
Rep.
Kirk Pearson.
“Protecting our children is the most important job I have in the
community and in the Legislature and that’s why I am sponsoring the
Jessica’s Law legislation as well as legislation to fund its key
elements in the 2006 session.
It’s past time to enact tougher measures like Jessica’s Law to deal with
sex predators. The law will create new and stricter definitions of
sexual crimes committed against children, increase penalties for sex
offenders and mandate appropriate sentencing guidelines. It also
integrates monitoring of sex offenders in our neighborhoods. To tackle
these tough issues in our state, we need resources that are available to
the victim, integral community members such as teachers and our law
enforcement community.
While the focus has been on the means for funding Jessica’s Law in our
state, my focus is on making sure the resources are there for crime
victims and their families. We must be bold and find a source of revenue
that can meet the needs of the many crime victims in our state.
That is why I am working on a proposal to fund these vital services. My
revenue proposal is nothing new. In 1989, a similar tax proposal to add
resources to the Crime Victims Fund by way of a tax on pornographic
materials was passed by the House and Senate but vetoed by then Governor
Booth Gardner. The legislation would have gone a long way to fund
programs that help crime victims move on with their lives, which is why
I plan on reintroducing the legislation next session.
My tax proposal, while still in its planning phase, is a serious
proposal that deals with how we treat victims, families and sex
predators. It is not a proposal that censors, prohibits the sale of
items or limits free speech. It is a proposal to establish a funding
mechanism to implement:
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Jessica’s Law, which
requires minimum sentencing guidelines and monitoring of sex
predators;
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House Bill 2101 passed
last year, educating teachers on dealing with juvenile sex offenders
in a school environment; and
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Compensation for
victims of these sexual predator crimes.
Jessica’s Law legislation
and my tax proposal will be introduced the first week of the 2006
legislative session. I hope that my colleagues in the Legislature will
stand with me in protecting our children and making sure that the
support mechanisms are in place and available.”
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer:
(360) 786-7252
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