Sen. Lauren Book

Bills responding to judicial rulings on requiring sexual offenders to register their addresses and determining restitution for crime victims have cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee.

That panel on February 15 approved SB 234 to close a loophole that allowed convicted sexual offenders who refused to pay their fines to avoid signing into the state’s sexual offender registry. It also passed SB 354 to clarify standards judges and victims can use when valuing damaged property when determining restitution levied on convicted defendants.