HARRISBURG – State Sen. John N. Wozniak said today he will introduce legislation intended to close a loophole in Megan’s Law that has frustrated local law enforcement provisions.
“Megan’s Law has served the people of Pennsylvania well but it requires vigilance to make sure sex offenders don’t flout the flaws,” Wozniak said. “When we see a problem, we have to fix it.”
Wozniak said he had received word from local law enforcement officials that out-of-state sex offenders could not be prosecuted for Megan’s Law violations because a technical flaw in Pennsylvania’s law provided no penalty. Wozniak’s legislation will fix the flaw and close the loophole.
Megan’s Law was enacted in 1994 after the rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a neighbor who was a repeat sex offender. It requires certain offenders to report and update their address to law enforcement and the information is posted to a public Web site to allow neighbors to take precautions.
Wozniak, who was a strong legislative proponent of the law when it was first introduced, said frequent updates keep the public safe and give law enforcement officials the tools they need.