NJ - State Senate to vote Thursday on Jessica Lunsford Act

DiAnne Gove

Original Article

03/25/2014

By STEVE PRISAMENT

GALLOWAY – A state Senate vote on the Jessica Lunsford Act has been scheduled for Thursday, March 27, according to the District 9 delegation, which has cosponsored the legislation in both state houses.

The vote is the final legislative hurdle for the bill to be sent to Gov. Chris Christie’s desk for approval. It was passed 77-0 Thursday, March 20, by the state Assembly.

That same day it was passed by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, clearing it for this week’s floor vote.

Galloway resident Anna Jezycki said she is hopeful for the act to become law.

“This has been going on for so many years,” Jezycki said. “It would be one of the best things that ever happened for New Jersey.”

For the past dozen or so years, Jezycki has been the leader of CUFFS, Community United for Family Safety, which she started with some neighbors when they learned of a sex offender living near a school bus stop.

“This is long overdue,” Jezycki said. “It’s been a long time coming and will be well accepted by the people.”

She said she expects that if Gov. Christie considers whether to sign the bill, the governor will remember receiving thousands of letters from CUFFS a few years ago during a previous attempt at sex-offender legislation.

The District 9 senator and Assembly members who represent Galloway and Port Republic in Atlantic County and coastal communities to the north have been pushing for the legislation for a while based – in part – on input from Galloway residents.

“For nearly a decade, our delegation has cosponsored and consistently advocated in favor of enacting the Jessica Lunsford Act, here in New Jersey, just as at least 25 other states have done,” Sen. Christopher J. Connors told The Current Monday, March 24. “Mandatory sentencing would serve the interest of public safety, as sexual predators who prey upon children would be incarcerated for longer periods of time as opposed to being released onto the streets.”

The act, which is named after a Florida girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a convicted sex offender, requires mandatory terms for persons convicted of aggravated sexual assault against a child under the age of 13. Sentences would range between 25 years and life imprisonment, with 25 years having to be served before parole eligibility.

Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf said victims’ interests would be better served.

“The courts would be enabled under the law to mandate that sexual predators serve sentences befitting of the heinous nature of their crimes,” Rumpf said. “For these and other compelling reasons, there is tremendous support for the Jessica Lunsford Act among concerned parents, grandparents, community groups and local public officials, including in our legislative district, who remain actively engaged in the effort to strengthen the state’s sexual offender laws.”

Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove cited strong support from two major forces.

“It is extremely important to note that this legislation is supported by Mark Lunsford (Video, Child Porn), Jessica’s father, who has worked tireless for Jessica’s Law to be enacted by every state so that a conviction of a sexual assault committed against a child in the first degree carries with it a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 25 years,” Gove said. “Critical to the continued advancement of this legislation is that both the Senate and Assembly versions of the Jessica Lunsford Act have strong bipartisan support from representatives across the state.”

The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed its version of the act, A-892 (PDF), Feb. 24. The Judiciary Committee was the only committee to hear A-892 before it moved to its unanimous Assembly approval March 20.

In the Senate, it required approval from two committees to reach this week’s vote. The Law and Public Safety Committee approved S-215 (PDF) Jan. 30 and the Budget and Appropriations Committee OK’d it March 13.

The 9th District delegation has established an online petition drive in support of the Jessica Lunsford Act as well as other sex offender legislation that residents can sign.

Connors, Rumpf and Gove are also prime sponsors of legislation that would require a sexual offender to be tiered – rated on the risk for re-offense – prior to his release from prison.

Currently, the ability of an offender to obtain housing following release is a determined by his tiering level.

CO - With 2 Different Bills, Colorado Will Get A ‘Jessica’s Law’

Original Article

02/28/2014

DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado lawmakers from both parties are working on different versions of a bill that would lay out mandatory sentences for child sex offenders.

Similar bills have failed before. Last year’s bill, brought by Republicans, died in an end-of-session drama that left Democrats struggling to explain why they opposed a bill that went hard on sex offenders. So this year there are dueling bills — one Democratic one Republican.

The intent of both bills is the same — to make sure anyone who sexually assaults a child spends a long time behind bars.

Both bills are named after Jessica Lunsford, a young girl from Florida who was raped and murdered by a sex offender on parole.

“A lump starts to grow and your heart just stops beating,” Lunsford’s father Mark Lunsford told lawmakers last year.

He testified before lawmakers on a bill that would put anyone convicted of molesting a child behind bars at least 25 years. It failed.

“It just broke my heart,” said Rep. Libby Szabo, R-Arvada.

Szabo brought the bill back this year.

“Because it’s important,” Szabo said.

“For these types of offenders a longer sentence is something that’s necessary,” said Rep. Mike Foote, D-Boulder.

Foote is among those who voted against the Szabo bill, calling it “one size fits all.” But he also promised Mark Lunsford he would try to do something. He’s now introduced his own “Jessica’s Law.” His bill would put child molesters away for 10 to 24 years depending on the seriousness of the crime.

“My bill treats different types of actions differently, but also makes sure to target those who are committing the worst of the worst offenses,” Foote said.

“I feel that if someone is capable of committing lewd molestation on a child that the 25 years fits the crime,” Szabo said.

Both bills go before the same committee Monday. With Democrats in control, Szabo’s bill will fail and Foote’s will pass. But, Colorado will get a Jessica’s Law, and Szabo, who started the conversation, says that is what matters.

Colorado is one of five states without a Jessica’s Law.

See Also:

• Colo. lawmakers to consider law to toughen sentences for sex offenders

FL - David Jolly Showcases Support of Jessica's Law in New Video

David Jolly

Original Article

Like usual, someone is running for office so they bust out the heart-tugging issues about children. Mark is being played for someone else's personal gain, in our opinion, and he's a patsy.

02/11/2014

By KEVIN DERBY

David Jolly, the Republican running in the special election for an open congressional seat in Pinellas County, released a new video showcasing his work for “Jessica’s Law” and standing against child predators. Jolly takes on former state CFO Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate, and Libertarian Lucas Overby in the March 11 special election.

“Many years ago, while awaiting to board a flight at Washington’s Reagan National Airport to return home to Pinellas, I met a man by the name of Mark Lunsford. It was a moment that changed my life,” Jolly emailed supporters on Tuesday. “Most of us know the tragic story of Mark’s loss. His 9-year-old daughter Jessie lost her life at the hands of a child predator who lived in the neighborhood. I’ll never forget my first conversation with Mark. I approached him to express my condolences and to offer my encouragement for the good work he was doing to enact Jessica’s Law in states across the country and to fight for increased federal law enforcement resources through passage of the Adam Walsh Act. When I asked Mark what he was doing in Washington that week, he replied simply, ‘I’m up here lobbying for some appropriations.’ Mark was referring to his efforts to secure funding for the U.S. Marshals Service to go after absconders from the sex offender registry.”

“I wanted to help – so I offered to work with him and other surviving parents to convince leaders in Congress to provide the marshals the funding they needed,” Jolly added. “Two years later, as one team devoted to an incredibly important cause, we had succeeded in securing tens of millions of dollars for the marshals to help protect our communities and our children from child predators. Mark has become a dear friend. He has followed this campaign closely. He recently decided to weigh in and record this commercial about our work together.”

Jolly looked to deflect attacks from Sink and her allies against his work as a lobbyist. “Throughout this campaign, my opponent and some in the press have raised politically motivated questions about my work in Washington,” Jolly wrote. “They’ve raised questions of personal trust. They’ve challenged my character. Even more, I have been criticized for saying that I am proud of my work in Washington. I am proud of my work, and Mark is the main reason why. And I am even more proud of my friend Mark and the work he did in Washington -- and I am forever grateful that he let me bear witness to his commitment, his drive and his fight to help parents across the country.”

“I didn’t get into this race to seek the affirmation of my opponent or the press. I got into this race to seek the support and affirmation of people like Mark Lunsford. I am humbled by Mark’s support and I’ll let his words in this commercial serve as my response to those in this campaign who continue to criticize my work on behalf of this community,” Jolly continued. “I’ve put my heart and soul into this campaign. I know many of you have as well. It really comes down to this – a campaign like ours that is committed to serving our community and serving those who need help working with Washington, or a campaign started, funded, and run by the Washington establishment with the sole purpose of serving the interests of Washington.”