About This Legislative Update
ATSA monitors legislation across all 50 states and at the federal level that affects the treatment, assessment, supervision, and management of sexual offenses. This update focuses on active bills we have designated as high priority because of their direct impact on evidence-based practice and public safety.
The 25 bills below are all currently active in their respective legislatures and are organized alphabetically by state. They are presented in two categories: legislation we are actively following with interest, and legislation we are concerned about. These bills were identified from our review of 1,863 total bills across 35 jurisdictions this legislative session.
If you are aware of legislation that should be brought to ATSA's attention, please contact Aniss Benelmouffok, Director of Public Affairs.
Note on Language:
ATSA is committed to using person-first language in all communications. When curating legislation, we may include terminology used by original sources to accurately reflect the bills presented. Inclusion of such language does not reflect ATSA’s position or endorsement.
9
Bills We Are Following
16
Bills We Are Concerned About
25
Active Priority Bills
The bills below advance evidence-based practices that improve public safety, or raise concerns because they conflict with research on what actually reduces recidivism and protects communities. Bills are organized alphabetically by state.
Early termination; sex offender registration
Current Status: Second reading in the House (Jan. 22, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would allow individuals to petition for early removal from the sex offender registry. Pathways off the registry support stable housing and employment, both of which research links to lower recidivism and safer communities.
Sex offenders; fund; assessment; subcommittee
Current Status: Scheduled for Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee hearing (Feb. 20, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would create a dedicated fund or oversight subcommittee focused on sex offender assessment and management. Structured oversight raises the bar for evidence-based practice, which benefits both professionals and public safety.
Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators
Current Status: First reading in the House (Jan. 13, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would expand residency restrictions for individuals convicted of sexual offenses and add new employment screening requirements. Research shows that expanding residency restrictions does not reduce sexual harm and may actually increase risk by destabilizing housing and employment—the very conditions that support successful reintegration.
Relating to the sex offender registry including duration of registration, photograph requirements, and modifications
Current Status: Subcommittee recommends passage (Jan. 20, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill proposes changes to how long individuals must remain on Iowa's registry. Registry duration directly affects an individual's ability to find housing and employment—the stability that supports successful reintegration and community safety.
A bill relating to surgical castration for certain sex offenses
Current Status: In subcommittee (Jan. 23, 2025)
Why This Matters:
This bill would require courts to order surgical castration for certain offenses. Decades of research show that evidence-based treatment—not coerced physical procedures—is what actually reduces reoffending and protects communities.
Relating to the sex offender registry including duration of registration, photograph requirements, and modifications (Senate companion)
Current Status: Placed on Senate Calendar (Jan. 27, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This is the Senate companion to HF2065 and is now on the floor calendar. The bill's progression signals real momentum toward reforming Iowa's registry requirements in ways that balance public safety with evidence-based reintegration.
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding where a sex offender resides
Current Status: Introduced — first reading, referred for printing (Feb. 16, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would tighten where individuals convicted of sexual offenses can live. Research shows broad residency restrictions push people into housing instability—a condition linked to increased risk of reoffending.
Criminal Code — Sex Offender Residence Restrictions
Current Status: Referred to House Rules Committee (Feb. 18, 2025)
Why This Matters:
This bill would expand restrictions on where individuals can reside. Limiting housing options destabilizes the conditions—steady housing, employment, community ties—that reduce recidivism and improve public safety.
Prohibiting level 3 sex offenders from residing together
Current Status: Hearing held (Jun. 17, 2025) — awaiting committee action
Why This Matters:
This bill would prohibit individuals in the highest-risk tier from living in the same residence. While well-intentioned, this restriction can make treatment programs housing multiple clients nearly impossible to operate and further limits already scarce housing options.
Incorporating hard labor as a sentencing option for capital murder and serious sexual assaults on children; defining hard labor; establishing medical exemptions
Current Status: Active — Special Order to present time on the Senate floor (Feb. 5, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would add hard labor as a sentencing option for the most serious offenses. It represents a punitive shift away from the individualized, risk-informed responses that research shows produce better public safety outcomes.
Chemical Castration For Sex Offenders
Current Status: Pre-introduction stage — not yet printed (Feb. 4, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would mandate chemical castration as a sentencing condition. This approach substitutes punitive intervention for comprehensive, evidence-based treatment that actually addresses the behavioral and psychological factors underlying sexual offending.
Requires nonresident visitor sex offenders to register when temporarily residing in state; involves short-term rental platforms
Current Status: Referred to Assembly Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would extend registry requirements to out-of-state visitors staying temporarily in New York. Expanding compliance burdens can create barriers to employment and treatment continuity for individuals working to reintegrate successfully.
Relates to the residence of a sex offender near a school and the victim of such offender
Current Status: Referred to Assembly Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would impose residence restrictions based on proximity to schools and victims. Blanket proximity rules—without individualized risk assessment—are poor substitutes for evidence-based supervision that actually protects victims and communities.
Relates to sex offender registration and residency restrictions; sets limitations on the distance sex offenders may be required to live apart from certain areas
Current Status: Referred to Assembly Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would cap how far from schools or parks individuals on the registry must live. Research shows sweeping residency restrictions push people into housing instability—which increases, not decreases, the risk of reoffending.
Authorizes municipalities to establish residency restrictions for sex offenders
Current Status: Referred to Assembly Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would let municipalities create their own local residency restrictions. A patchwork of local rules can make it impossible for individuals to live anywhere in a region, destabilizing the supervision and community ties that reduce risk.
Requires nonresident visitor and registered sex offenders to register when temporarily residing in state (Senate companion to A03179)
Current Status: Referred to Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This Senate companion to A03179 extends temporary registration requirements. Both bills would increase compliance burdens that can disrupt employment and treatment for individuals actively working toward successful reintegration.
Authorizes municipalities to establish residency restrictions for sex offenders (Senate companion to A04734)
Current Status: Referred to Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This Senate companion to A04734 would enable local residency restrictions. Fragmented local rules that eliminate housing options undermine the stable living conditions that research links to reduced recidivism.
Allows a district attorney to seek court-imposed residency restrictions for certain sex offenders; allows sex offenders to petition for relief
Current Status: Referred to Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill gives prosecutors authority to seek individualized residency restrictions but also lets affected individuals petition for relief. The petition provision is positive—the key is whether individualized risk assessment informs the process.
Creates the New York State Commission on Sex Offender Supervision and Management
Current Status: Referred to Senate Finance Committee (Jan. 7, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would establish a 13-member commission to evaluate how New York manages individuals with sex offenses. These commissions often shape legislation and program standards for years, influencing both public safety outcomes and the work of treatment professionals.
Creating the Transient Sex Offender Elimination Act of 2026; providing guidelines and restrictions for establishing program houses
Current Status: House Criminal Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled (Feb. 17, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would restrict program houses—transitional housing designed to support reintegration. Structured program housing is exactly the stabilizing environment that supports successful treatment and reduces recidivism.
Sex Offender Registry, castration
Current Status: In committee — additional sponsors added (Mar. 6, 2025)
Why This Matters:
This bill ties castration to registry provisions and is gaining sponsors. This approach bypasses decades of evidence showing that comprehensive treatment—not punitive physical measures—reduces reoffending and protects public safety.
AN ACT relative to the sex offender treatment board (House companion bill)
Current Status: Placed on Consent Calendar for House floor vote (Feb. 19, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would modify how Tennessee's sex offender treatment board operates—the body that sets standards and certifies providers. Changes to the board ripple through how treatment is delivered and how programs are held accountable to evidence-based practice.
AN ACT relative to the sex offender treatment board (Senate companion bill)
Current Status: Recommended for passage — referred to Senate Calendar Committee (Feb. 11, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This Senate companion to HB1595 has cleared committee and is advancing toward a floor vote. Together, these bills represent an opportunity to shape how Tennessee structures treatment oversight and accountability.
Concerning civil commitment of sexually violent predators
Current Status: Reintroduced and retained in present status by resolution (Jan. 12, 2026)
Why This Matters:
Civil commitment legislation shapes the legal procedures that govern forensic evaluation and institutional treatment. Changes to petition processes or commitment criteria affect both the work of evaluators and the quality of public protection.
Clarifying where convicted sex offenders may reside
Current Status: Referred to House Judiciary Committee (Jan. 22, 2026)
Why This Matters:
This bill would define or restrict permissible residences. How these criteria are defined matters—overly broad restrictions reduce housing stability, which research links to increased, not decreased, public safety risk.
