Bill Summary: HB 5578

• Establishes a Sexual Offender Registration Board within the Board of Pardons and Paroles to assess and classify sexual offenders as lowest-risk, moderate-risk, or highest-risk using validated actuarial instruments, effective July 1, 2018.

• Creates two separate registries for offenders convicted on or after October 1, 2018: a law enforcement registry (not public) for lowest and some moderate-risk offenders, and a public registry for highest-risk and some moderate-risk offenders.

• Sets registration periods based on risk classification: lowest-risk offenders register for 10 years on law enforcement registry; moderate-risk offenders register for either 20 years (law enforcement) or life (public); highest-risk offenders register for life on public registry.

• Allows offenders to petition for removal from public registry or movement to law enforcement registry after specified compliance periods (10 years for public registry petitioners), subject to court approval and victim input.

• Applies to offenders convicted prior to October 1, 2018 under existing law, while establishing new risk-assessment-based classification system for convictions on or after that date.