A developing state-policy debate over Payne-Phalen may be relevant to families and taxpayers in dems kill amendment to prevent sex offenders from living near daycares.
Coleman’s amendment passed with bipartisan support but was then stripped from the bill during conference committee with no input from Republicans. Under current law, when releasing a level 3 sex offender into the community, the state must take into consideration the proximity of the offender’s residence to schools and avoid concentrating offenders near schools or in the same neighborhood.
Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, proposed an amendment to the omnibus judiciary and public safety bill that would have expanded these restrictions to daycare centers, homes for vulnerable adults, and “locations where children commonly gather.” Coleman’s amendment passed with bipartisan support but was then stripped from the bill during conference committee with no input from Republicans.
She said her amendment was inspired by a group of her constituents who protested the placement of a level 3 sex offender in their neighborhood in 2021.
The concerned residents argued that Matthew Vanhecke, a former teacher who was found guilty of sexually assaulting two girls under the age of 10 and possessing child pornography, should not be in a neighborhood with a large density of children.
“That amendment that I fought for for my district and for all the children in Minnesota was removed in conference committee,” Coleman said Friday on the Senate floor.
Julia Coleman says Democrats removed an amendment from an omnibus public safety bill to prevent level-three sex offenders from living near daycare centers.
pic.twitter.com/A7g0ASwUTf — Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) May 16, 2023 Sen.
As the measure advances, residents of Payne-Phalen can follow amendments and contact Liz Lee regarding the final language.
Article Source: Alpha News: “Dems kill amendment to prevent sex offenders from living near daycares”
