The Judiciary Committee heard testimony March 13 on a bill meant to restrict certain sex offenders from living near parks.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s Sexual Predator Residency Restriction Act currently allows a political subdivision to adopt regulations to restrict sexual predators from living within 500 feet of a school or child care facility.<\/p>\n
LB473, sponsored by Hoskins Sen. Dave Bloomfield, would extend that authority to restrict residency near parks.<\/p>\n
The bill defines a park is defined as a parcel of ground or a facility established by a political subdivision for recreational use by the public that covers at least 2,500 square feet.<\/p>\n
The bill also expands the definition of sexual predator of children to include a sex offender who has been convicted of a crime that involved the penetration or direct genital touching of, oral to anal contact with or oral to genital contact with a person younger than 13 years old.<\/p>\n
The residency restriction would not apply if a sexual predator had established a residence before the bill\u2019s effective date and had not moved from that residence, or if a park triggering the restriction is established after the effective date.<\/p>\n
Bloomfield said the bill was necessary because South Sioux City experienced an influx of sex offenders following passage of a similar bill in Iowa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bill does nothing more than add parks to the list of places that can be restricted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ed Mahon of the South Sioux City Police Department testified in support of the bill, saying it would address concerns of parents in the area.<\/p>\n
Between five and 10 individuals on Iowa\u2019s sex offender registry recently have moved to South Sioux City due to Nebraska\u2019s less stringent residency guidelines, he said.<\/p>\n
Eric Baird of Papillion testified in opposition, saying residency restrictions create displacement of individuals on the sex offender registry without providing meaningful protection for children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a symbolic law, not an effective law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The committee took no immediate action on the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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