Joins with Parents for Megan’s Law in Call for Albany Special Session
Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads and Presiding Officer Norma L. Gonsalves joined Laura Ahearn, Executive Director of Parents for Megan’s Law, Nassau and Suffolk County Legislators, State Lawmakers and community residents to call upon State representatives to return to Albany for a Special Session to restore the ability of local lawmakers to protect our children from sex offenders.
In February, the highest court in the state, the New York State Court of Appeals, struck down all county residency restrictions preventing local governments from enacting local laws restricting sex offenders. This ruling struck down a Nassau County law that created sex offender residency guidelines that were more stringent than the State’s guidelines.
Nassau County’s local law sought to restrict Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school. Current State law only limits Level 3 convicted sex offenders. Based on the Court of Appeals decision, back in May, Gonsalves called upon the local state representative to make a change at the state level allowing Nassau to make its own restrictions on convicted sex offenders. The State Senate approved a law allowing the counties to create their own, more stringent restrictions, but the Assembly did not take a vote on the bill before the session ended.
"Government has no more important responsibility that to act to protect its citizens from harm. First among them are those least able to help themselves - our kids,” stated Legislator Rhoads. “The Court of Appeals’ decision is unfortunate in that it takes away our power at the County level to place common-sense restrictions to protect children from sexual predators. I commend Senator Michael Venditto and Assemblyman Ra for their leadership in attempting to remedy the absurd consequence of the Court of Appeals’ decision. The message that we send today, however, is that Speaker Heastie and the Assembly majority must stop their foot-dragging, do their job, and restore our County's ability to do its job in protecting the most vulnerable in our society. This cannot wait with a new school year just six weeks away. Governor Cuomo has the ability to call a special session and to tell the Speaker to get back to work, and he should do so immediately," said Rhoads
Laura Ahern pointed out that a Level 3 Wyoming has moved into a house 3 doors away from an elementary school in Dix Hills. “Without further restrictions, this can now happen in Nassau, too,” warned Presiding Officer Gonsalves. “We need the state Assembly to act now.”
Pictured, l to r, are: NYS Assemblyman Andy Raia, Suffolk County Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, Suffolk Legislator Kate M. Browning, NYS Assemblyman Dean Murray, Nassau Legislator Steve Rhoads, NYS Senator Michael Venditto, Laura Ahearn, Suffolk Legislator Steven Stern, Presiding Officer Gonsalves, NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, Suffolk Legislator Monica R. Martinez, Suffolk Legislator Sarah Anker, Suffolk Legislator Leslie A. Kennedy, Mastic Beach Mayor Maura P. Spery, and NYS Assemblyman Edward Ra.