COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 256
(By Senators Beach, Jenkins, Miller, Nohe, Klempa and Barnes)
____________
[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary;
reported February 1, 2011.]
____________
A BILL to amend and reenact §15-12-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to requiring sex offenders to verify their e-mail and other online identities in the same way as they register their physical addresses.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §15-12-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 12. SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT.
§15-12-10. Address and online information verification.
All registrants, including those for whom there has been no change in registration information since their initial registration or previous address verification, must report, in the month of their birth, or in the case of a sexually violent predator in the months of January, April, July and October, to the State Police detachment in their county or counties of registration and must respond to all verification inquiries or and informational requests, including but not limited to requests for online information made by the State Police pursuant to this section. The State Police shall verify addresses of those persons registered as sexually violent predators every ninety days and all other registered persons once a year. As used in this section, the term “online information” shall mean all information required by subdivision (8), subsection (d), section one-a, article twelve, chapter fifteen of this code. The State Police may require registrants to periodically submit to new fingerprints and photographs as part of the verification process. The method of verification shall be in accordance with internal management rules pertaining thereto promulgated by the superintendent under authority of section twenty-five, article two, chapter fifteen of this code.
____________
(NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require sex offenders to verify their e-mail and other online identities in the same way as they register their physical address.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.)