article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Sex Offender Registration Tips Program Act of 2009'' or the ``SORT Act of 2009''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., a nonprofit corporation described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and headquartered in New York, has since 1998 educated and supported the community, law enforcement, criminal justice, and government agencies on issues related to sex offender registration, notification, responsible use of information, sexual abuse and abduction prevention, Internet Safety, and crime victim support. (2) Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., established and operates the National Megan's Law Helpline, a free confidential telephone helpline that provides information, support, and criminal justice referrals, nationally and internationally, on sex offender management issues. Parents for Megan's Law, Inc. is a certified rape crisis center and provides support and assistance to child and adult victims of sexual abuse and all victims of violent crime. Research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling support are more likely to report their attack to the police and participate in the prosecution of the offender. (3) The National Megan's Law Helpline has generated over 70,000 requests for assistance, information, or follow-up contacts on sex offender management, crime victim support, and prevention education issues. Helpline requests utilize the Helpline's resources and often entail coordination with outside resources, follow-up calls, or actual referrals to any or all of the following: law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies, state and local crime victims assistance agencies and organizations, social service and human service providers, and other service provider organizations. (4) The Internet website of Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., serves as a clearinghouse and national resource for information related to sex offender registration, notification, sexual abuse and abduction prevention, and crime victims' support and referrals. Such Internet website is also utilized by the public to anonymously report Internet child pornography and child sex tourism and as a resource for Internet Safety education. Reports are forwarded to local law enforcement for appropriate follow-up. (5)(A) With limited resources, the National Megan's Law Helpline has provided the public with a resource for confidentially reporting registered sex offenders failing to comply with registration requirements, supervision, or employment restrictions or who are in positions of trust where potential child victims can be accessed. Confidential tips are triaged, crime victim support is provided, and referrals are made to the appropriate criminal justice agency for follow-up action. (B) In fact, because of anonymous tips to the Helpline, actions have been taken to mitigate potentially dangerous situations, including-- (i) sending a registered sex offender back to prison after he was identified as residing in a registered child day care center where he could access potential child victims; (ii) preventing a convicted former middle school teacher required to register as a sex offender and give up his teacher's license, from gaining employment as an in home children's tutor for a reputable tutoring company where he could gain unsupervised access to potential child victims; (iii) having a registered sex offender who targeted a child, and subsequently was barred from using the Internet to develop online relationships, removed from an Internet Dating service where he attempted to develop a relationship with whom he believed was a single woman with children; (iv) sending a registered sex offender, who was on parole for a weapons charge and restricted from entering school grounds, back to prison for entering school grounds and drug possession; (v) identifying and reporting a registered sex offender, convicted of sexually victimizing a 4-year- old boy while baby-sitting, who had absconded and failed to register; and (vi) identifying, locating and reporting registered sex offenders in violation of conditions of probation, parole, local employment or other restriction laws. (6) A national Sex Offender Registration Compliance survey conducted by Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., in 2003, indicated that, 24 percent of (or over 100,000) registered sex offenders were not complying with sex offender registration laws. Sex offender registry information provides parents and community members an opportunity to protect themselves, their children, and their communities from sexual victimization, but that information, in order to be of value, requires labor intensive follow-up intervention and proactive maintenance to be kept current. (7) Access to the National Criminal Information databases is necessary for Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., to effectively evaluate the veracity of tips received, proactively research noncompliant registrants or registrants engaged in criminal activities and provide law enforcement with viable accurate information for follow-up action. (8) The Sex Offender Registration Tips (SORT) Program will reduce sexual victimization and increase sex offender registration compliance through community tips and proactive maintenance. (9) Authorizing federal funds for the SORT Program will reduce criminal sexual victimization by-- (A) supporting crime victims seeking assistance; (B) supporting sex offender registration, notification, and sexual abuse and abduction prevention education and Internet Safety inquiries; and (C) providing the public two interactive confidential resources, the Helpline and Internet website, for the public to provide information-- (i) about registered sex offenders who are believed to be out of compliance with registration requirements, supervision, or employment restrictions and who are in positions of trust where potential child victims can be accessed; or (ii) concerning sex offender activities that indicate a heightened risk of re- offending. (10)(A) The SORT program will serve as a powerful national tool supporting communities and crime victims while assisting and advancing the mission of Federal, state, and local law enforcement in combating sexual victimization. (B) The SORT program and the National Megan's Law Helpline is unique in the following ways: (i) It provides up to date sexual abuse prevention information, deters vigilantism, and reinforces responsible use of information. (ii) It provides victims who come forth with needed information with an infrastructure of advocacy, enforcement, and therapeutic support. (iii) It maximizes law enforcement's already strained resources by screening anonymous tips promptly and effectively through the use of trained investigators with access to public, private and law enforcement databases. SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION TIPS PROGRAM. (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of the funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection (d), the Attorney General shall provide grants and access to information and resources to the not-for-profit community and victim's rights organization, Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., to implement the Sex Offender Registration Tips Program described in subsection (b). (b) Sex Offender Registration Tips Program Described.--For purposes of subsection (a), the Sex Offender Registration Tips Program is a program to reduce sexual victimization and support victims of violent crime by-- (1) providing up-to-date and accurate sex offender registry information to Federal, State, and local law enforcement entities through the National Megan's Law Helpline staffed by Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., and the Internet website of such organization; (2) enabling the analysis and coordination of community tips relating to sex offenders who fail to register in the sex offender registry maintained by the jurisdiction involved or who engage in activities in violation of conditions of their probation or parole or other criminal activities; (3) using existing Internet sex offender registries, public information, and the National Criminal Information databases to compare and contrast information and proactively identify high- risk registrants who are out of compliance, in violation of conditions of supervision, and identify the location of wanted registrants in order to ascertain the need for follow-up action by law enforcement; (4) providing crime victims support, information, and referrals; and (5) supporting community members with up-to-date sex offender registration, notification, and sexual abuse and abduction prevention and Internet Safety information. (c) Access.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Attorney General shall ensure access by Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., to the National Crime Information Center databases operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to section 534 of title 28, United States Code, to the extent that such access is only for purposes within the scope of the organization's duties and responsibilities to assist or support law enforcement agencies in administration of criminal justice functions. (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for grants under subsection (a) for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
summary: Sex Offender Registration Tips Program Act of 2009 or the SORT Act of 2009 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) provide grants and access to information and resources to Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., to implement the Sex Offender Registration Tips Program; and (2) ensure access by Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., to the National Crime Information Center databases operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).