HB 846 (Albo) requires that a sexually violent predator serve a minimum mandatory term of 25 years for certain violent offenses. The Senate companion to this bill, SB 470 (Norment), was incorporated into an omnibus bill dealing with sexually violent offenders.
HB 984 (Sherwood) makes numerous changes to the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. In an effort to ensure that Virginia’s children are safe from these predators, this legislation sets forth additional Registry offenses, prohibits certain offenders from living within 500 feet of a school or day care center, and instructs school divisions to develop policies to provide information to parents regarding the availability of information on the Registry. In addition, this bill makes a second or subsequent conviction for failing to register a Class 6 felony. HB 984 also incorporates HB 1012 (Hurt) which adds to the list of Registry offenses the use of a computer or computer network, to engage a juvenile in a sex offense. The companion to this bill, SB 316 (Howell) was incorporated into comprehensive legislation dealing with sexually violent predators.
HB 1014 (Hurt) and its companion, SB 348 (Howell) prohibit intentionally operating a website to facilitate the payment for accessing child pornography over the Internet. This legislation is intended to prohibit websites from charging people to view child pornography over the Internet. The bills are also intended to penalize third party billing companies that intentionally assist in processing payment of those consumers who want to purchase access to child pornography.
HB 1037 (Hamilton) was a product of the Crime Commission and establishes within the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, the Office of Sexually Violent Predator Services to administer provisions relating to the civil commitment of sexually violent predators. The companion to this bill, SB 319 (Howell) was incorporated into comprehensive legislation dealing with sexually violent predators.
HB 1038 (Griffith) reforms the civil commitment of sexually violent predators program. It adds certain offenses to list of crimes that qualify as sexual offenses. In addition, this legislation states that a person on conditional release will be subject to mandatory GPS monitoring. The companion to this bill, SB 317 (Howell) was incorporated into comprehensive legislation dealing with sexually violent predators.
HB 1359 (Bell) authorizes the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to contract with the Department of Corrections to provide services for the monitoring and supervision of civilly committed sexually violent predators who are on conditional release. The bills companion is SB 318 (Howell).
SB 420 (Hanger) makes it unlawful for a person to operate a family day home if he knows that any of its employees or volunteers are convicted sex offenders.
SB 421 (Hanger) requires certain businesses and organizations that provide care to children, the elderly, or disabled to request a national criminal background check of all employees.