Legislation to increase penalties for sex offenders and to provide communities more protection from them when they get out will be taken up in next week?s special session of the General Assembly, which was initially called to address huge increases in Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. rates, legislative leaders said Thursday.
Like the compromise on BGE rates that failed to win Senate passage at the 11th hour of the regular session April 10, a measure to closely monitor convicted sex offenders, increase reporting requirements and make them serve 25 years in prison for molesting youths died in the waning moments of 90-day session.
The bill was a major priority for the governor, the attorney general and legislators.
“The governor was astounded that after all his hard work that lawmakers failed to pass a sex offender initiative in April,” said Henry Fawell, Gov. Robert Ehrlich?s spokesman. “He very much looks forward to working with them in special session to fix their mistake.”
At the time, Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said the conference committee report on the bill arrived too late for passage, but Republicans aren?t buying that story.
“Partisan game playing caused the bill to die,” said House Minority Whip Anthony O?Donnell, R-Calvert. “All that was done for you for show.”
Republicans were particularly upset about loss of the provision that established a mandatory minimum sentence for raping or molesting someone younger than 12 years old.
Such requirements are referred to as “Jessica?s Law,” named after a Florida statute passed last year.
That measure was pushed by Republicans in the House and Senate, and was added to the larger package of protections backed by the governor and attorney general.
“Several weeks ago when we heard about the special session, we had a [new] bill drafted,” said Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford. Constituents were telling her, “We heard you couldn?t even pass a bill to help children,” she said. “It was a terrible thing that we couldn?t pass it.”
The original House version had only Republican sponsors, but O?Donnell said he would be accepting co-sponsors from both parties.
