Senate approves restriction on registered offenders living near child-care facilities after heated debate
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Summary
After extended debate about scope and retroactivity, the Senate passed a bill restricting registered offenders from residing within a defined distance of child-care facilities; supporters called it 'common sense,' opponents warned the registry is overbroad.
The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 20 passed Senate File 88, a measure that restricts where certain individuals on the registered offender list may reside relative to child-care facilities.
Senator Case urged caution and urged colleagues to resist the bill, saying it was not narrowly tailored to offenses against children and could have unintended consequences for property owners and businesses. "This is not fully thought out," he said during debate, citing the registry’s scope and retroactive elements.
Senator Salazar and others framed the bill as an urgent public-safety measure. "If ever a bill needed to have common sense on it, this would be it," Salazar said, noting unanimous support in the Judiciary Committee for the amended language. Supporters pointed to amendments that clarify which facilities are covered and said the revisions improve enforceability.
After floor debate and roll-call, the Senate passed the bill by recorded vote (25 ayes, 6 no). Sponsors and proponents said the measure narrows the question to protecting child-care settings; opponents warned the underlying registry includes a broad set of offenses and that the registry’s current design can capture people who are not the primary public-safety concern.
What happens next: With Senate passage, the bill moves to the House or the next steps in the legislative process; sponsors said they would continue to work on clarifying definitions where necessary.
