GA: Bad bill advances through the legislature (lifetime probation and Halloween signs)
The following is an update from an advocate in Georgia. If anyone is in Georgia and would like to be connected with the advocate group there, please reach out to [email protected]
Here’s an update on Georgia HB 720 which would require Judges to issue mandatory lifetime probation sentences upon conviction of a 2nd sexual offense. It would also make it lawful for Sheriffs to put signs on registrants property on and before Halloween.
The bill passed today 98-63.
There was nearly 30 minutes of discussion both for and against. I helped my representative (Kennard) craft a great opposition speech. In the end, we just didn’t have the votes to stop this in the House.
The bill now moves on to the state Senate. My plan is to remind the Senators that this bill does not implement any of the findings that came out of their own study committee last year. I also plan to get the Department of Community Supervision to publicly oppose the bill.
If anyone would like to, you can view the livestream here (begins at 1:01:40):https://livestream.com/accounts/25225474/events/8824297/videos/202832129
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This gives you an idea of the high caliber of advocates we have in Georgia, even if not everything can be a win.
This won’t happen and there’s a case in the 11th Circuit challenging it anyhow
What won’t happen? The bad bill? Is that what’s being challenged in 11th?
Umm… What exactly won’t happen?
Blanket Internet bans based solely on being listed on the registry and subject to community supervision by Parole officials. That will not fly. Packingham attached a 1st Amendment liberty interest, and a strong one at that to the 1st Amendment. Blanket prohibitions are falling.
The only upside to the situation in Georgia is that both federal and state courts have said that they cannot retroactively apply a bunch of stuff the registrants. These include the draconian residency and employment restrictions that were imposed around 2006. The other good thing as best as I can tell is that not only can you petition to be removed from the registry in Georgia even for out of state , convictions, But after the post 2010 rewrite of the laws, it looks like they left out the part about having to submit all of your Internet identifiers. For some of us that would be a big deal in and of itself because in Florida, you’re pretty much restricted from setting up your own little business that uses the Internet because you can’t use a lot of the common tools required to be successful.
You are so right. I STILL can’t figure what is and isn’t legal with regard to reporting internet identifiers, so, except for posting on FAC (who gave us a green light), I just don’t do it at all.
Would the sign portion be retroactive or only forward-looking? I’d like to know before I waste my time looking to make a move to Georgia.
You know the old saying “The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”. I tried to move to California and moved right back before having to register once I learned more details.
I did however move from one Florida county to another to live with my parents as the place I was living I was getting more law enforcement visits than I did while on probation.
Funny 67 counties in Florida and each Sheriff has their own set of registry rules. Makes it hard when you live near the county line and could make a mistake by just driving to the store.
If JoeM above is right, then the worst thing about Georgia’s registration requirements would be the three-day window for registration. In my case, I’m less than an hour from Georgia now, so a minimal move geographically would result in appreciably more personal freedom.
No worries though. If I go I’ll still make my monthly contributions to FAC ;).
Some just use tax payers monies more wisely and know who to watch.
I often wonder how many law enforcement employees actually monitor what we say on F.A.C. I am sure by now they know about this site and many of us open up more on here than we normally do as we somewhat consider this a safe place to share.
Having said that, they do allow anyone to come on here and leave comments and sometimes I see people telling us to refuse to register etc. and am sure those are either plant from law enforcement trying to snare us or people who hate registered citizens and hoping to get us caught up in a web of deception and lies to further our chances of getting locked up on a so called violation.
If you think someone is watching you, you are probably right.
It’s like I told the probation people several years ago when they came to inspect my computer…”have fun, you might learn something!” That was the last time they inspected my computer. Maybe if some sneaky LEO is monitoring this web site he/she might learn something outside of the BS they have been taught in training.
How about this idea; So long as “taxpayer money” is being used for this and we are also tax payers, let’s start a class action against the states and the feds that so long as we are publicly shammed, can’t vote or go to the very parks and schools OUR part of the taxes help pay for, then we as SO’s should be tax exempt. Period.
I have to admit… I get very frustrated when people suggest, “let’s start a class action…” then don’t back up their statements with contributions to our legal challenges. Sure, great idea! We should bring lawsuits challenging everything. With what money?!?!
I hear ya. I donate monthly to FAC, Narsol and the registry matters pod cast. Iv spent 10k just this year in legal fees trying to seek removal from the registry. So im putting some skin in the game. And if these legal proceedings dont work out I’m going to funnel future funds directly into FAC.
i doubt this will be published but with that said does FAC Pubically disclose the financial statements? i been looking around the past few months and haven’t seen them posted. perhaps is we can see that someone or several are not receiving 100,000.00 salary, etc… then perhaps it would entice more donations
NOBODY at FAC earns A PENNY for our work. We are all volunteers. NOT A F-ING PENNY!!!! Do you really think we take in enough donations to even cover that?!?
I so appreciate the work done by FAC. I don’t know where any of us would be without FAC. I hope that the FAC leadership knows that sometimes comments are made out of frustration and are not really meant to demean the dedicated work done by FAC leaders. You folks are really so appreciated. We have to keep up a united front.
Thanks Capt. I was frustrated. I sometimes think that if people knew how much personal time and personal money it took to keep things going, they would be really ashamed to make comments like they do.
When I see what FAC volunteers crank out— everything from welcome packets to letters to law enforcement to legal challenge status updates and much more— I am nearly astounded at how they accomplish it all.
Tired Old Man, you have really “missed the boat here”. NO ONE who serves on the board or is a volunteer for FAC receives even a penny. In fact, all on the board plus the volunteers only give their OWN money to FAC — not the other way around. If we ever lose the leadership we have in FAC, we are all going to be sunk. They put in hours working for out cause, and it costs us as members NOTHING.
I hope FAC doesn’t “pubically”disclose anything unless it’s in consenting relationship between two adults….lol. Seriously, thank you to FAC for all you do! I’m spending a large amount of $ on lawyer fees here in Michigan in my quest to get my self removed from the registry here. I plan to donate to the out of state challenge whenever the matter is resolved hopefully very soon
Appreciate that sincerely!!!
Yes, thanks FAC! God bless you and your efforts, and know that they are not in vain!
The idea of a lawsuit from people not being able to vote or do the everyday typical things because of a felony or a sex offense yet still being tax payers should have been challenged YEEAAARS ago. Maybe even long before many of us were born.
Start it and I’ll contribute.
I said it once or twice FAC, I will say it again,there is no amount of money that can change anything. The proof is in the pudding,, the richest of the rich sex offenders lawyers are telling them don’t waste your money,, there are millionaire’s and billionaire’s on the sex registry and all the money in the world cant help them or us. I am sure I will repeat myself again at some point.
I think the fact that you are writing this contradicts your statement. We funded (collectively, through donations to kick-start our lawsuit) an Internet Identifier challenge that won. Had we been required to report, in advance, every URL (not just website, but URL) that we communicated on, we would not have had 30+ comments to moderate this AM because people would have long since foregone the pain in the butt and risk involved in reporting every URL to the FDLE.
Apparently we didn’t need contributions from the “richest of the rich”‘s to make that happen, nor did we need them for the pending cases. I’d rather build an organization on a foundation of $5/month contributions from people who that $5 a month actually means something – at least I know our efforts and lawsuits are meaningful.
I appreciate your regular posts on FAC, Riff Raff, but this one was respectfully, not correct.
I understand his frustration and interpret it differently. Basically money helps but money doesn’t always equal success. I blew through $50,000.00 on my case back in the early 90’s and was not even given the choice of a trial. I could have spent nothing and gotten the same results.
But I believe everyone on here appreciates what all F.A.C staff and volunteers do. Sometimes this is the only place we can bitch where someone gives a damn about us. I sometimes go off on a tangent myself and mean no harm when I do it.
I want to work so badly but every time I get a job some anonymous group seems to successfully get me fired even though I was forthcoming when hired.
My Parents who are elderly are taking care of me and it is supposed to be the other way around.
I / we did our time and owned it. We wanted to and do want to move on an be productive citizens but we are basically prisoners in our own dwellings wondering when the next brick will fly through the window, the next set of tires will be slashed, the next time “Freak” will be spray painted on the side of the house.
All this not because someone went down and got our file but because a 7 year old can access the registry and look through all the photos of the “monsters” Mommy told them to avoid that live close by.
One man with wisdom is of far more value than 10 wealthy fools.
I hope the registry catches the Corona virus and the Ebola virus at the same time and dies a slow painfull death. I’m so damn tired of the endless punishment.
Wait, your saying another piece of legislation is not going to go our way? that’s hog wash i tell you. As long as legislators have to justify their position to their constituents they will continue to pass ridiculous bills like this one using gotcha words like sex offender to scare the public into thinking it is in their benefit. were trying to bail the water out of the titanic with a bucket
@no hope
I too thought the situation was hopeless concerning the registry and its stipulations, BUT, as I have been watching FAC, ACSOL, and NARSOL I have been seeing victories that haven’t happened in the past.
Also, I am seeing the public’s eyes beginning to open about the actual recidivism rate-that it is extremely low for registrants.
Many women and rape crisis centers and even psychologists are chiming in now and advocating against the registry, and now even a Sheriff has made some fear-relaxing remarks.
Are things happening and progressing at the rate all of us would like? No!
BUT, positive things are happening and will continue to happen with the help of the FAC, ACSOL, NARSOL, etc., and you should thank God that we have these associations fighting on our behalf.
Pray that God gives them wisdom, knowledge, and courage to continue to fight and overcome these senseless laws and support them when you can.
David V C, well said. We must stay on the positive side of our fight for justice.