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House approves child-abuse offender registry bill named for a young constituent
Summary
Lawmakers approved a substitute to HB149 to create a registry for persons convicted of felony child abuse in Utah; sponsor said the registry would link to existing corrections offender systems and help parents and school districts identify risks.
Representative Owens presented the floor substitute of HB149, describing it as a child-abuse offender registry named in part after a 3-year-old constituent, "Miley," whose case illustrated the harms the bill seeks to address. Owens said the registry would register anyone convicted of a felony child-abuse crime in Utah and link the new registry to the state corrections offender registry for access.
"This would allow...register anyone who is convicted of a felony, child abuse, crime in Utah to be registered," Representative Owens said, adding that the registry is intended as an awareness tool for parents and school districts when placing bus stops or otherwise protecting children. He stressed the measure applies to felony offenses only.
The bill was substituted on the floor (motion to delete title and body and replace with second substitute) with no change to the bill text beyond location and procedural adjustments. Owens waived summation and the bill passed the House 75–0 and will be referred to the Senate for consideration.
Floor discussion framed the registry as one tool among many for child protection; sponsors emphasized limits (felony convictions only) and that the registry's purpose is public awareness and school-district safety planning. The House did not adopt amendments on the floor.
