Congressman introduces legislation to help pay for sex offender registries

Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell is joining others who’ve introduced legislation to help states maintain sex offender registries. The kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Jetsetta Gage of Cedar Rapids prompted renewed interest in the issue, as the man accused of the crime is a convicted sex offender.He says reports of “heinous acts” against children have shocked and horrified us and united everyone to work to make children safer. Boswell, a democrat, says millions would be available for states if the bill becomes law. He says the bill authorizes 300-million dollars in grants to help states to implement and maintain sex offender registries. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Techau says the money would be used to keep better track of sex offenders that cross state lines. He says that takes a lot of resources in the state, and is one of the more expensive and challenging aspects of a sex offender registry. Boswell says his bill is just one of several introduced recently to crack down on sex crimes against children. Boswell says he hopes some of the bills can be rolled into one and quickly passed by Congress.