By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer Wednesday, May 16, 2007

The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee killed several sex offender registry bills with the intention of revisiting the issue next year after a commission has time to further study the issue.

The mapping bill, sponsored by Rep. Kim Silsby, D-Augusta, would have required the state to post a map online showing where convicted sex offenders live. But a similar requirement might be part of a federal law, so the committee voted unanimously to kill the bill.

Silsby said while she's disappointed with the committee decision, she's hopeful a map will be included in future legislation.

"I think it's real important it's as user-friendly as possible," she said. "It's really a significant issue for Augusta. We need to make sure we're protecting our citizens, and in particular, our children."

The committee discussed 11 bills related to the state's sex offender registry and killed nearly all of them. But because states are waiting for federal regulations to be released, the committee asked the Criminal Law Advisory Commission to work on the issue over the summer.

The commission, which is a group that advises the Legislature on criminal law matters, will take the federal law, compare it to state law, and report back to the Legislature in the fall. That means the earliest any changes could come up for a vote would be next year.

Specifically, some members of the criminal justice committee proposed putting in place a three-tiered system for sex offenders, with low-risk offenders being required to report only to police rather than being part of the public Web site. High-risk offenders would be on the registry for a lifetime and would have their pictures posted on the publicly available Web site. The lawmakers are asking the advisory commission to help them decide which types of offenses would be in each tier. And they are asking the state Department of Corrections to examine how to assess the risk sex offenders pose when they are released back into the community.

One other consideration is the possible loss of federal money if the state does not substantially comply with the federal law.

"This is not an easy task," said Rep. Richard Sykes, R-Harrison. "It's extremely complicated."

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com