State
law currently requires sex offenders to pay a $75 registration fee at the time
of their initial registration, and then annually thereafter. Although the state
can waive this fee for individuals who are deemed indigent, a significant
amount of the fees goes uncollected. A 2015 investigation by New England Cable
News found that, between January 1, 2012 and June 11, 2015, the state collected
less than half of the $2.3 million in registration fees it was owed.
The Caucus proposal (filed as amendment #496) calls for imposing additional sanctions
against delinquent sex offenders. If a sex
offender hasn’t paid the fee – or has paid only a portion of it – the Sex
Offender Registry Board will be required to report them to the Registry of
Motor Vehicles and the Department of Revenue within 30 days. Once that happens,
the sex offender will be unable to acquire or renew their driver’s license or
motor vehicle registration until the fee is paid in full. In addition, DOR will
be authorized to intercept the uncollected fee from any state tax refunds due
to the sex offender.
The
state needs to do a much better job collecting outstanding sex offender
registration fees and making sure these fees are paid on time. The Caucus proposal will hold sex offenders
accountable and ensure that they are in compliance with the law.
