International Meagan’s Law, another bill of attainder

International Meagan’s Law (bill 4573) has been winding its way through congress. It passed the house in July  2014 and has just been placed into calendars in the Senate.

This bill would make passports for registered citizens only valid for 1 year (instead of 10). The law would require registered citizens to report all their travel itinerary directly to the department responsible before 21 days of international travel. Failure to do so is cause for prosecution the same as “failure to register.” This law will apply to all registered citizens, regardless of whether their state requires them to submit travel information or not. Every time a registered citizen attempts to travel, an INTERPOL alert will be put on the passport, warning the receiving country that the registered citizen is likely there to commit a crime. This alert has nothing to do with risk factors. Immigrations will meet you at the airplane and send you back home. The length of time that this law will apply to each registered citizens will be governed by the SORNA tiers, not by State Law. Thus, if a citizen’s duty to register would have expired after 10 years or 15 years, this time can be extended under International Megan’s Law to match whatever the SORNA tiers. For most registrants this will mean 25 years or life.

The full text of this law can be read at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4573/all-actions-with-amendments

While ICE and US Marshals have *already* been implementing some of these policies against registered citizens, they are doing so under an administrative directive less stringent than the proposed International Meagan’s Law.

The only hope of defeating this bill is if every individual contacts their senator and argues against it. Please make your voices heard.

International Meagan’s law is ostensibly to prevent sex trafficking. However, it targets only registered citizens and the research bears out that 99% of new sex crimes are committed by those not on the registry. Stopping sex trafficking is a good thing. This law will not stop sex trafficking but rather make it impossible for registered citizens to travel with their families in the same way that presence restrictions make it difficult for them to visit parks with their families and school functions with their families, etc.

Please, please write your senator. Please get involved. This is the only chance to make a difference on this bill. Once it is enacted into law, it won’t be going away and will likely only become more restrictive over time (as we have seen happen with all other registration laws.)

Use the link provided to determine your US reps and have as many people as possible make contact by phone, email, or snail mail.

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

HR 4573 – International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v91X0X8kln4/TK9uXvyV_OI/AAAAAAAACuY/bZ-4EWRIaLU/s200/a-congress-review.jpg

12-12-2014 Washington DC:

12/11/2014 Senate Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 645.

Time for folks to be contacting Senators to get this bill killed…

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