“Ensure registered sex offenders fully feel the effects of being on the registry” is what they are calling it?
Apparently, being on the registry just isn’t uncomfortable enough. According to a recent article in the Floridian Press, Greg Steube and another Florida lawmaker are proposing legislation to make sure registrants “fully feel the effects of being on the registry.” One bill would block access to ACA/Medicaid benefits. Another would restrict parental rights.
The exact quote in the article is “Ensure registered sex offenders fully feel the effects of being on the registry”. Fully feel the effects? You mean like make sure we receive all the benefits of this membership?
I thought the registry was supposed to be civil and remedial, not punitive. Remember when the Supreme Court told us this was all just a regulatory scheme? In Smith v. Doe, the Court assured everyone that registration was not punishment. Chief Justice John Roberts once famously suggested registration was no more burdensome than signing up for a price club membership.
But when I renew my Costco membership, I don’t also lose access to public benefits, get banned from entire swaths of society, risk losing my kids, and have lawmakers brainstorming new ways to make sure I “fully feel” it each year. It’s kinda not the same vibe.
So which is it? Is the registry an administrative tool designed to protect the public? Or is it a punishment buffet where legislators compete to see who can add the spiciest new collateral consequence?
If the goal were actually public safety, the media would be talking about evidence-based policy, rehabilitation, reintegration, and reducing recidivism. Instead, we’re debating whether denying healthcare and limiting family formation will make people “feel the effects” hard enough.
Welcome to Price Club. The membership warehouse where we take away all benefits.
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From the article: “
Sex offendersex-offenders have no business tapping into programs intended for lower-income and disadvantaged Americans.”That entire sentence is an oxymoron! Hello? We ARE low-income, We ARE disadvantaged (actually from being politically persecuted from people just like you!) Lastly, we ARE AMERICANS AND CITIZENS OF AMERICA. We reserve the right to access and enjoy Medicare just like any other American.
His entire argument and talking points for his misguided claims can easily be picked apart and discredited. However, he’s relying on knee-jerk hate and fake outrage over objective facts and reality to sell this trainwreck of a bill.
There has to be a lawyer who will pick this up. Going from prevention/protection to full on punishment
The bill needs to pass before it can be challenged. If it passes, there will be.
Perhaps those lawmakers should feel the full effects of being voted out of office? They were elected to serve ALL Americans, not just pander to the mob for cheap and easy votes. But no.. they’re capitalizing off of the Epstein outrage and distracting from Trump being on the list by targeting everyone on the boogeyman list regardless of risk dynamics. It’s the classic “make them out to be the bigger monsters than we are” play.
How about never finding meaningful paying employment as well? Fell the full pain.
It seems they are trying to punish floridians every way possible using the guise ‘it’s remedial’ as a cloak to keep passing as many harsh, onerous laws as possible to make you hurt as much as possible beyond your release from prison!
Since NOTHING seems to be punishment, they will continue to push the envelope at every turn, until a judge intervenes, which may be the next Tuesday of never.
If they can take away our essential lifelines of medical support and care, isolate us to where we have no social bonds, life-partners or relatoinships, then publicy intemidate us with threats as-to what they’re GOING TO DO TO US NEXT, then where is the red line drawn? At what point do we say enough is enough? They already got us like wild animals in the corner while poking sticks at us!
We reserve the RIGHT to healthcare just like EVERY OTHER citizen of this country regardless of our past!
That letter Janice sent them will probably make them rush the bill through just OUT OF SPITE.
Facts
It hurts my heart and my brain, that a supreme court judge does not intervene in some of these ridiculous “Punishments”. And yes, regardless of what the law makers say, it is in fact punishment. Any right taken away or restrictions put on someone is punishment, especially done to those who have already served their time. We are no longer prisoners, other than being prisoners of the law makers who hold us like puppets on a string to make them laugh as we are made fools of.
And like I have said it the past, our families suffer to, but we are told that we created situations by committing crimes. Sorry but my crime from more than 35 years ago should not follow me for the rest of my life, and maybe to my grave. This also goes of course for anyone who has served their time successfully.
Punishment should be applied to every crime, but we not only are the only ones with such a harsh registry, but ones that are for life without relief, except in rare instances. And why do the judges let these law makers continue to push us all closer and closer to falling off the cliff? Metaphorically
Courts normally don’t have jurisdiction over the legislative process.
We have the Right to Healthcare. That is in Article 12 of the United Nations Human Rights.
However, no one has the right to Health Insurance, and that is why many Americans are uninsured.
I don’t believe any State nor Congres itself has the power to deny any certain idividual of a health care insurance subsidy if they are able to meet its criteria in as this is unethical and morally wrong beyond reason.
Cutting off someone from Health insurance when they can afford to pay it, even if it is government subsidized, would sentence some of us to DEATH, because without the ACA, some of us would be unable to afford the necessary medication to keep us alive.
Congress, nor the State, cannot morally, ethically,Constitutionally, or lawfully sentence any one us to certain death by denying us resources we can pay for to keep us alive.
We have the Right to Life!!
If they try to push this through it will be met by an onslaught of lawsuits and as FAC said, it might even tip the scales of Justice in our favor.
There are only so many straws you can put on the back of a camel before it breaks!!
DVC
My dad used to tell me when he got mad at his employees he will tell them, “you are just throwing shit at the wall and hope it sticks”. That is exactly what these law makers are doing. Making up ridiculous crap to punish us (They say it is never, ever, ever punishment) and hope the bill goes through and sticks.
And they do not worry about lawsuits because the money is not coming out of their pockets, win or lose.
I have got to say, that being on the registry in California is really a non event compared to Florida, we go in once a year in and out in 10 minutes, no restrictions on location of any kind other than entering schools you must have permission. Your state is a freakin nightmare, a ride you can never get off. But you all are a benefit to all of us in that the more insane restrictions Florida keeps passing the clearer the picture it should become to the Supreme court that Doe was wrong and needs a complete rehearing. So go Florida, keep up the insanity. You will benefit all of us!
I’ll tell you what’s worse than the way Florida treats the registrants in Florida. moving to another state and getting off the registry there but not being able to do anything because you are stile on the registry for life in FL. so 2 teens who swapped nude photo’s of each other and took a plea because they were being threatened with distribution of child porn and years in prison are now on the registry in Florida for life. How is that just?
What case was this?
FAC, there’s a lot of cases like that
Isn’t Medicaid issued through each state? Medicare is issued through the federal government? If it passes, it will pass because Gov DeSantis hates our guts.