The bill amends Section 11-37.1-10 of the General Laws regarding penalties for sexual offenders. It establishes that any person required to register as a sex offender who knowingly resides within three hundred feet (300) of a school, as defined in 11-37.1-2, will be guilty of a felony. The distance is to be measured in a straight line, without regard for intervening structures or objects, from the nearest portion of the property on which the person resides to the nearest property line of the premises of any school.

The bill also clarifies that any person required to register or verify their address, regardless of whether the requirement was a special condition of their release on probation, parole, home confinement, or other forms of supervised release, must comply with these regulations.

The previous provision concerning level-three sex offenders residing within one thousand feet (1,000) of a school has been deleted. The penalties for violations include imprisonment for not more than five (5) years or a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. This act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2281: 11-37.1-10