Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017

Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to reauthorize through FY2022 the Sex Offender Management Assistance program.

(Sec. 3) The bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the activities of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and apprehend sex offenders who violate sex offender registration requirements.

(Sec. 4) It reduces from 25 years to 15 years the required registration period for certain juvenile delinquent sex offenders who maintain a clean record.

(Sec. 5) It allows a state, Indian tribe, or territory to exempt from disclosure on a public website information about juvenile delinquent sex offenders.

(Sec. 6) The bill specifies how to calculate the allocation of Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program funds for local governments after a state's JAG funds are reduced for failure to comply with sex offender registration and notification standards.

(Sec. 7) It amends the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to include additional data in its annual report on the enforcement of sex offender registration requirements.

(Sec. 8) The bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the duties of probation and pretrial services officers to include, when directed by a court, supervision of a sex offender conditionally released from civil commitment subject to court-ordered compliance with a prescribed regimen of medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment.

(Sec. 9) It extends the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a federal sex offense to file a civil action to 10 years (currently, 3 years) from the date such individual reaches age 18.

(Sec. 10) It authorizes DOJ to provide technical assistance to tribal governments to promote access to federal criminal information databases. DOJ's Working Capital Fund may be reimbursed by federally recognized tribes for such technical assistance.

(Sec. 11) The bill allows a state, Indian tribe, or territory to establish an alternative method for a registered sex offender to comply with the in-person verification requirement. DOJ must approve an alternative verification method before it is implemented.

(Sec. 12) It limits the aggravated sex abuse offenses that trigger sex offender registration requirements for a juvenile at least 14 years old who is adjudicated delinquent for a comparable or more severe sex offense.

(Sec. 13) The National Institute of Justice must report to Congress on the public safety impact, recidivism, and collateral consequences of long-term registration of juvenile sex offenders.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov