HB27ENGROSSED Page 0 HB27 1NE9L3Z-2 By Representative Underwood RFD: Judiciary First Read: 04-Feb-25 PFD: 19-Aug-24 1 2 3 4 5 6 HB27 Engrossed Page 1 PFD: 19-Aug-24 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to sex offenders; to amend Sections 15-20A-13 and 15-20A-31, Code of Alabama 1975, to prohibit sex offenders from being employed or volunteering as a first responder. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1. Sections 15-20A-13 and 15-20A-31, Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows: "§15-20A-13 (a) No adult sex offender shall accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position at any school, childcare facility, mobile vending business that provides services primarily to children, or any other business or organization that provides services primarily to children, or any amusement or water park. (b) No adult sex offender shall accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position within 2,000 feet of the property on which a school or childcare facility is located unless otherwise exempted pursuant to Sections 15-20A-24 and 15-20A-25. (c) No adult sex offender, after having been convicted of a sex offense involving a child, shall accept or maintain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 HB27 Engrossed Page 2 of a sex offense involving a child, shall accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position within 500 feet of a playground, park, athletic field or facility, or any other business or facility having a principal purpose of caring for, educating, or entertaining minors. (d) Changes to property within 2,000 feet of an adult sex offender's place of employment which occur after an adult sex offender accepts employment shall not form the basis for finding that an adult sex offender is in violation of this section. (e) It shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of any childcare facility or any other organization that provides services primarily to children to knowingly provide employment or a volunteer position to an adult sex offender. (f) For the purposes of this section, the 2,000-foot measurement shall be taken in a straight line from nearest property line to nearest property line. (g)(1) No adult sex offender shall accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position as a first responder. (2) For the purposes of this section, a "first responder" means a paramedic, firefighter, rescue squad member, emergency medical technician, or other individual who, in the course of his or her professional duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies, whether compensated or not. (g)(h) Any person who knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a Class C felony." "§15-20A-31 (a) During the time a juvenile sex offender is subject 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 HB27 Engrossed Page 3 (a) During the time a juvenile sex offender is subject to the registration requirements of this chapter, the juvenile sex offender shall not accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position at any school, childcare facility, or any other business or organization that provides services primarily to children. (b) It shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of any childcare facility or any other organization that provides services primarily to children to knowingly provide employment or a volunteer position to a juvenile sex offender. (c)(1) No juvenile sex offender shall accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position as a first responder. (2) For the purposes of this section, a "first responder" means a paramedic, firefighter, rescue squad member, emergency medical technician, or other individual who, in the course of his or her professional duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies, whether compensated or not. (c)(d) Any person who knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a Class C felony." Section 2. This act shall become effective on October 1, 2025. 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 HB27 Engrossed Page 4 1, 2025. House of Representatives Read for the first time and referred to the House of Representatives committee on Judiciary ................04-Feb-25 Read for the second time and placed on the calendar: 0 amendments ................12-Feb-25 Read for the third time and passed as amended ................13-Feb-25 Yeas 103 Nays 0 Abstain 0 John Treadwell Clerk 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98