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Committee hears bill to notify Attorney General when offenders petition to leave registry
Summary
Sponsor and an AG office attorney said HB 268 would require county attorneys to notify the attorney general’s office when a petition is filed to relieve a person of the duty to register, with the AG offering expertise and a way to notify victims; witnesses cited a statewide registry totaling 7,041 offenders.
Representative Albight opened the hearing on House Bill 268, saying the bill requires county attorneys to notify the attorney general’s office when an offender files a petition to relieve the duty to register on the sex- and violent-offender registries. He told the committee that the measure was requested by the attorney general to provide greater oversight and ensure victims can be notified.
Caitlin Williams, identified herself as the SORNA attorney with the Montana Department of Justice and spoke as an informational witness. Williams said the attorney general’s office currently learns about petitions only after they are granted or when a county attorney specifically requests help; the bill would give the AG’s office advance notice so it can offer legal analysis, aid counties that lack capacity and, when appropriate, notify victims.
Williams cited registry counts during questioning: 3,848 violent offenders and 3,063 sexual offenders for a total statewide registry of 7,041 people. She described cases where complex jurisdictional issues (for example, where an offender petitions in a county different from the one where the offense occurred) meant the attorney general’s office could have access to records or case law county offices do not. Williams said the AG can assume a case’s jurisdiction with county commissioners’ approval but typically provides legal counseling and resources without formally taking over.
Committee members pressed on implementation and on whether the new requirement would unduly burden county attorneys. Representative Griffith said he was concerned about added workload; Williams replied the AG office’s intent is collaboration, not automatic intervention, and that her role is largely to provide expertise and consistency across counties.
Representative Albight closed by restating that better notice to the AG’s office would help victims and improve uniformity in handling complex petitions. The hearing was closed with no proponents or opponents having asked for a formal vote at that time.
What happens next: the committee closed the public hearing on HB 268; no executive action on this bill was recorded in today’s session.
