Gov. Perry Vetoes HB 3148

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

Pursuant to Article IV, Section 14, of the Texas Constitution, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby disapprove of and veto House Bill No. 3148 of the 81st Texas Legislature, Regular Session, due to the following objections:

House Bill No. 3148 would amend current Texas law that allows some sex offenders, in very limited circumstances, to petition a court to be exempt from registering as a sex offender. While House Bill No. 3148 was intended to more narrowly define who could seek a court’s exemption from sex offender registration, I believe the bill fails to adequately protect young victims.

Specifically, the bill would allow an individual who has completed deferred adjudication for the offense of indecency with a child, and who was younger than 21 years old at the time of the offense, to be eligible to petition a court for an exemption from sex offender registration, regardless of the age of the victim.

While other provisions of the criminal code provide some protections against very young victims being re-victimized in the event that a court were to improvidently exempt their abusers from sex offender registration, I am not willing to take that gamble with the lives of young Texans.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have signed my name officially and caused the Seal of the State to be affixed hereto at Austin, this the 19th day of June, 2009.

RICK PERRY
Governor of Texas

ATTESTED BY:
COBY SHORTER, III
Deputy Secretary of State

For a detailed view of this bill, visit http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3148.