CS/CS/HB 119 - Sexual Offenders and Predators

• Creates new offense of loitering or prowling by certain sex offenders within 300 feet of places where children congregate, and prohibits such offenders from approaching children or being present at schools and child care facilities without prior notice and supervision.

• Expands sex offender and predator registration requirements to include transient residences and requires reporting of temporary residence locations within state or out of state; applies to offenses committed on or after the effective date.

• Adds residency restrictions for persons convicted of certain sex offenses, prohibiting residence within 1,000 feet of schools, child care facilities, parks, or playgrounds; persons already residing in compliant locations are not forced to relocate if facilities are subsequently established nearby.

• Extends special conditions of supervision for sex offenders on probation, community control, or conditional release, including restrictions on visiting schools and child care facilities without approval, prohibition on certain holiday activities involving children, and requirement for certified polygraph examinations by qualified examiners.

• Allows removal of sex offender registration requirement in limited circumstances involving minors age 14-17 for certain qualifying offenses, and requires qualified practitioners rather than general therapists for sex offender treatment and risk assessments.