Maryland Delegates Rude in Sex Offender Bill Hearings? II

Posted with permission from Jerry Norton


Letter to the Editor

Evening Capital

 

Senate Committee’s Disregard for Jessica’s Law Hearing

 

On Wednesday, March 14, the powerful Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee held hearings on thirteen various bills. Normally, this would go unheralded.

 

The hearings started promptly at 1pm, but the committee delayed the hearing for Jessica’s Law (Senate Bill 413) as the last bill heard on the docket. It was 6pm before the committee called the first of 28 very patent and dedicated supporters to testify on the proposed child-sex offender bill.

 

By the time the testimonies started, there were but five members of the twelve-member committee left to hear our most important testimony. The committee chair, Senator Brian Frosh, was not present. It is travesty to the witnesses, including Mark Klaas, from

California

, father of the murdered 12-year old Polly Klaas, and Chip St. Clair from

Michigan

, whose father molested him for over 20 years and was a fugitive child killer, not to mention the other 26 witnesses! Many of these witnesses were

Maryland

victims of child sexual abuse, who waited for seven hours to testify.

 

In my opinion, it was yet another example of

Maryland

legislators ignoring its own citizens. Citizens, who understand the threat our children face from child predators and that the state has not done enough to help us protect them.

 

 

Jerry Norton

Owings, MD