The Vermont House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would tighten regulations on registered sex offenders Wednesday.
H.16 requires sex offenders who complete their prison sentences to report to the sex offender registry before they are released. Those on probation or parole would have 24 hours after their release to report.
The sex offender registry is the subject of significant scrutiny in Montpelier this legislative session. The Senate Judiciary Committee is reviewing a bill that proposes several overhauls to the state’s sex offender registry system.
The registry came under fire last year when an audit found that people who should be listed on the Internet registry were not, and people who should not be listed were. The problems were consistent with results of an audit from four years earlier.
Microbead ban wins final House approval
Wednesday, the House also voted to give final approval to a bill banning the manufacture and sale of products containing nonbiodegradable, plastic balls known as microbeads.
Rep. Jim McCullough, D-Williston, called for the vote to be done by roll call. One of the House’s first actions of the session, the vote was overwhelmingly in support, with 140 in favor and none opposed.
Microbeads, common in exfoliating soaps and face cleansers, can flow down the drain, through sewage treatment plants and into public water bodies. Aside from pollution concerns, microbeads have raised concerns that they could be eaten by fish and introduce toxins into food consumed by humans.
If approved by the Senate, the ban would be implemented over the next four years, beginning with the prohibition of the manufacture of microbeads by the end of 2017. By the end of 2019, the sale of personal care products and over-the-counter drugs containing microbeads would be banned.
