COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY, HOMELAND SECURITY AND JUSTICE BILL NO. 29-0239 Twenty-Ninth Legislature of the Virgin Islands November 23, 2011 An Act amending chapter 86 of title 14 of the Virgin Islands Code, to expand the laws of the Territory regarding the monitoring and tracking of sex offenders within this jurisdiction with the purpose of affording greater protection for the people of the Virgin Islands from sexual exploitation and violent crime, preventing child abuse and child pornography, promoting internet safety and educating the community about sex offenders, and for other purposes PROPOSED BY: Senator Ronald E. Russell by Request of the Governor 1 WHEREAS, Congress has enacted laws establishing a comprehensive national system 2 for the registration of sex offenders and offenders against children; and 3 WHEREAS, Congress currently provides grants to the States and Territories under the 4 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program in order to provide additional 5 personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance, and 6 information systems for law enforcement, which grants are administered in the Virgin Islands by 7 the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, and 8 WHEREAS, in order to encourage States and Territories to amend their statutes in 9 conformance with the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (hereinafter, 10 "SORNA"), Congress has determined that federal grant funds provided under the Edward Byrne EFTA01104070