Can you imagine waking up one day to find that you and your children are living next to a sexual predator?

Well, this happened recently in Roebuck. I then filed a bill following a town hall where I listened to the story of convicted sex offenders moving into a residential neighborhood without anyone knowing beforehand.

I am proud to let you know that S. 1243, my bill to mandate public notice and require public input before the opening of a convict residential rehabilitation facility, unanimously passed the Senate today and went to the House only 23 days after I filed it.

We had a subcommittee hearing with testimony from interested parties and a full Corrections and Penology Committee hearing on the legislation.

This bill requires that the public be given a chance to speak 60 days prior to the opening of any such facility and that public notice be published in the local newspaper a month ahead.

Notification was the biggest thing I heard from constituents during the meeting, and I certainly would want to know before someone put a housing facility near me or my family.

We are hopeful that the House will take up and pass S. 1243 quickly so no one else is caught by surprise.

I appreciate my Senate colleagues for acting quickly on this danger to our communities, and I look forward to this bill becoming law!