Dear Friends,

As you may know, PARSOL is the Pennsylvania state affiliate of the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL).  Earlier today, NARSOL released the following information, and we are strongly asking you to take action as the proposed legislation would be nationwide and could affect anyone.  There are fires, floods, natural disasters, hurricanes, and all sorts of ways this legislation could negatively affect persons on the Pennsylvania registry. 

Please use this link to take action right away.

Best regards,

Team PARSOL

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From NARSOL:

When families face emergencies and are driven from their homes, they need quick and equitable access to emergency facilities. Families should be allowed to stay together during crises. However, a new bill proposed by Nancy Mace, a former South Carolina state representative who is now a U.S. congresswoman, seeks to deny this fundamental right to families with a member on a state sex offense registry. “Women and children deserve safety,“ she has said in defense of the bill. While protecting vulnerable populations is a goal we all share, this bill fails to achieve that and instead imposes unnecessary harm.

Mace’s legislation, the Safe Shelters Act, states: “Except for the purpose of seeking information on designated shelters, a covered sex offender may not enter or use the services of an undesignated shelter.”

Under the proposed bill, “designated shelters,” as determined by FEMA, would likely include federal buildings or prisons deemed suitable for registrants by the General Services Administration. This bill is cruel and unfairly targets registrants with families, particularly those with small children. Non-registered spouses depend on their partners for help and support during emergencies, and registered single parents would be made to choose between their children’s safety and forced separation. We believe that requiring families to separate during a crisis is contemptible.

People on the registry already face ostracization and discrimination in daily life. Denying them access to emergency shelters further marginalizes them and interferes with the fundamental unit of society—the family. No family should have to endure such treatment during a crisis.

This bill is unnecessary as there is no evidence that registrants pose a threat to the safety of others in emergency shelters. Shelter operators and agencies are not advocating for such extreme measures. Instead, this bill appears to be a political maneuver—either for publicity or personal agenda—addressing a problem that does not exist.

Ironically, the bill comes from lawmakers who champion limiting government and federal interference in state matters. This legislation contradicts those principles by overstepping states’ rights, a fundamental conservative value. The Safe Shelters Act undermines this principle because local governments typically manage emergency shelters, and some states have chosen to legislate these matters themselves. The bill overrides state and local authority, imposing unnecessary federal control.

This is bad public policy on all fronts, as it harms families by forcing separation during emergencies. It addresses a problem that does not exist, wasting legislative resources. Finally, it violates states’ rights and local jurisdiction over shelter management.

The National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL.org) monitors such legislation and recently called attention to problems around these kinds of laws in states like Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina during recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton, stating, “When safety is threatened, when families are driven from their homes, they need to be allowed emergency shelter just like every other citizen, and they need to be allowed to stay together as families.” NARSOL noted several families electing to stay home during mandatory evacuations rather than separating parents from children, putting entire families in danger.

This flawed, unnecessary, and potentially unconstitutional legislation must not become law. Instead of dividing families during crises, policymakers should focus on solutions that equitably support all citizens.

Please use this link to take action right away.

The following leaders across the United States have co-signed this Op/Ed:

• Brenda Jones, Executive Director National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL)
• Robin Vander Wall, Chair, NARSOL
• John Dawe, Managing Director, Pennsylvania Assoc. For Rational Sexual Offense Laws
• Audrey Kelly, NARSOL representative, Alaska
• Patricia Borden, Director, Arizonans for Rational Sex Offense Laws
• Susan Walker, Executive Director, Coalition for Sex Offense Restoration, Colorado
• Cindy Prizio, President, One Standard of Justice, Connecticut
• Margaret Hawkins, President, Delaware Advocates for Rational Sexual Offense Laws
• Gail Colletta, President, Florida Action Committee, Inc.
• Waleisha Wilson, Chair, Restore Georgia
• Adele Nicholas, Executive Director, Illinois Voices
• Michael Harris, Executive Director, Indiana Voices
• Amanda Littrel, Executive Director, Iowans Unafraid
• Teresa Butell, NARSOL representative, Kansas Coalition United Against Registry
• Jeff Goetz, NARSOL representative, Kentucky 
• B.V. Jones, Executive Director, Maryland Families Advocating for Intelligent Registries
• Kathie Gourlay, NARSOL representative, Michigan
• Tim P, NARSOL representative, Sex Offense Reform Specialist. ACLU of Michigan
• Timothy Davich, NARSOL representative, Minnesota for Our Rights
• Ken Roberts, NARSOL Gatekeeper, Mississippi
• Erik McInnis, NARSOL representative, Missouri
• Kevin Nunez, NARSOL representative, New Jersey
• Larry Neeley, NARSOL representative, New Mexico
• Dwayne Daughtry, Executive Director, North Carolina RSOL
• Justin Hillman, NARSOL representative, North and South Dakota
• T. Jackson, NARSOL Representative, Ohio RSOL
• Mary Krehbiel, NARSOL representative, Oklahoma RSOL
• Lori Hamilton, Executive Director, Oklahoma Voices, Inc.
• Dr. David Mayer, Chair, Oregon Voices
• Don Thurber, Executive Director, South Carolina RSOL
• W.G. Crump, NARSOL representative, Tennessee
• Mary Sue Molnar, Executive Director, Texas Voices for Reason and Justice
• Timothy R. Burgess, Executive Director, Vermont Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants
• JP Welch, Board member, Safer Virginia
• Philip Kaso, Executive Director, West Virginians for Rational Sexual Offense Laws 
• Robert Thibault, NARSOL representative, Wisconsin
• Amber Vlangas, Executive Director, Restorative Action Alliance New York 
• Danell Puglisi-Knutson, Board member, SHINE-VOICES
• Shawn Barrera-Leaf, United Voices for Sex Offense Reform (UV4SOR) Michigan
• Janice Bellucci, Executive Director, ACSOL 

PARSOL
1010 Mountain View Drive, Box 123
Lehman, PA 18627-0123
United States