Holy simoly. An amazing piece of legislation. The NC General Assembly is considering a bill to make pimpin' an offense that would require registration as a (wait for it) Sex Offender! People convicted of "sex trafficking" would be required to have their names added to the sex offender registry. It appears that Dan Blue is the only guy in the legislature with any sense.
A state Senate committee Thursday approved a local senator's bill that would require those convicted of human trafficking, or pimps, to register as sex offenders.
But approval came after considerable debate over the scope of the sex offender registry. Several senators expressed concern about adding the crime to the registry because it places offenders not convicted of sex crimes on the list.
"Sex offenses are unique," said Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake. "We need to keep them separate as much as possible.
Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, filed his Sex Trafficking/Sex Offender Registration bill last week. Goolsby said he understood Blue's concern, and he was open to creating a separate registry but wasn't sure if that was possible.
Sen. Dan Soucek, R-Watauga, was concerned that creating a separate registry might be more problematic. "We don't want to create a loophole that is an exception," Soucek said. Goolsby argued during Thursday's committee meeting said he'd rather err on the side of victims.
"This is the only registry we have," Goolsby said. "If someone enslaves another human being, we still want those people registered."
More after the jump...
A state Senate committee Thursday approved a local senator's bill that would require those convicted of human trafficking, or pimps, to register as sex offenders.
But approval came after considerable debate over the scope of the sex offender registry. Several senators expressed concern about adding the crime to the registry because it places offenders not convicted of sex crimes on the list.
"Sex offenses are unique," said Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake. "We need to keep them separate as much as possible.
Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, filed his Sex Trafficking/Sex Offender Registration bill last week. Goolsby said he understood Blue's concern, and he was open to creating a separate registry but wasn't sure if that was possible.
Sen. Dan Soucek, R-Watauga, was concerned that creating a separate registry might be more problematic. "We don't want to create a loophole that is an exception," Soucek said. Goolsby argued during Thursday's committee meeting said he'd rather err on the side of victims.
"This is the only registry we have," Goolsby said. "If someone enslaves another human being, we still want those people registered."
More after the jump...