California Assembly passes bill allowing some pedophiles to not register as sex offenders, with stipulations

(The Center Square) — The California State Assembly this week voted to revise the state’s penal code that regulates the registration of sex offenders by passing SB-145. The revision of the bill would allow pedophiles to not be registered on the sex offender list as long as they are not 10 years older than the minor they were convicted of molesting.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Scott Weiner 18 months ago, relaxes sex offender registry requirements for sodomy and other acts with minors to reportedly end “discrimination against LGBTQ young people on the sex offender registry,” according to Weiner.

The bill states that, “Existing law, the Sex Offender Registration Act, requires a person convicted of one of certain crimes, as specified, to register with law enforcement as a sex offender while residing in California or while attending school or working in California, as specified.

“This bill would exempt from mandatory registration under the act a person convicted of certain offenses involving minors if the person is not more than 10 years older than the minor and if that offense is the only one requiring the person to register.”

The bill specifically gives judges discretion over whether to make an adult register as a sex offender if they had anal or oral sex with a willing minor, and only if the minor is 14 years old or older and the statutory rapist is less than ten years older.

It passed by a vote of 41–18; 22 legislators did not vote on it.