Arizona affiliate AZRSOL helps defeat onerous bills

By John C. . . . Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed two punitive bills that AZRSOL strongly opposed.  One (SB1253) would have required that anyone listed on the sex offense registry who has a child in school must report their registration status to that school, regardless of their risk level.  The second (SB1583) would have taken the radical step of placing Level 1 low-risk registered citizens convicted of certain offenses on the state’s public sex offense registry.

AZRSOL organized write-in campaigns to members of both the state House and Senate urging them to oppose these bills.  We also testified in person against SB1583. Both bills eventually passed along strict party-line votes, prompting AZRSOL to contact Governor Hobbs to urge her veto.

In nixing SB1253, Hobbs noted that there are already adequate safeguards in place regarding registrants with children in school.  Since the bill did not address how the information being reported could be used, she said she feared such reporting could lead to these children being harassed.

In opposing SB1583, AZRSOL said the bill would for the first time place on the state’s public registry many individuals who had already paid the penalty for their offense, successfully completed their treatment programs, adhered to their numerous registration requirements, and remained offense-free for years and even decades. Employing a widely used evaluation tool, law enforcement had determined they posed little risk to their communities.

We emphasized in our campaign against SB1583 that the American Law Institute—a prestigious group of judges, attorneys, and scholars who in 1962 developed and published The Model Penal Code adapted by many states—is now recommending that access to registries be limited to law enforcement only and that they include only the most serious offenses.

Part of our argument against SB1583 was that considering the growing understanding that registration is ineffective in achieving any of the goals that were expected of it, it is ironic that certain legislators in Arizona continue trying to expand it even more. It certainly raises the question of whether these efforts are based more on a desire to punish past offenses rather than work to prevent new ones.

The Democratic Party minority report on SB1583 outlined their reasons for opposing the bill, citing among other issues the retroactive nature of the bill and the potential for shame and harassment it posed to registrants and their families. The report used a document posted on AZRSOL’s website in support of their arguments.  We are glad they took advantage of the resources we have to offer and that AZRSOL made it into the legislative history.  It shows at least some legislators are listening!

AZRSOL thanks everyone in Arizona who heeded the call to voice their opposition to these punitive bills. Their efforts played a key role in blocking them from becoming law and show that our concerted actions really can have an impact!

Written by a guest writer

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