Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2016
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to reauthorize through FY2018 the Sex Offender Management Assistance program and the Jessica Lunsford Address Verification Grant program.
(Sec. 3) Additionally, it reauthorizes appropriations through FY2018 for the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and apprehend sex offenders who violate sex offender registration requirements.
(Sec. 4) The bill amends the federal criminal code to modify 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. 5) It establishes statutory rights for sexual assault survivors, including the right to: (1) receive a forensic medical examination at no cost; (2) have a sexual assault evidence collection kit (i.e., a rape kit) preserved for 20 years or the maximum applicable statute of limitations, whichever is shorter; (3) receive written notification prior to destruction or disposal of a rape kit; and (4) be informed of the rights and policies under this section.
Additionally, it makes statutory crime victims' rights applicable to sexual assault survivors.
The term "sexual assault" means any nonconsensual sexual act prohibited by federal, state, or tribal law, including when a victim lacks capacity to consent.
Funds made available to the Crime Victims Fund under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 must be used to carry out the requirements of this section, subject to specified exceptions.
(Sec. 6) The bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize DOJ's Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states to develop sexual assault survivors' rights and policies and to disseminate written notice of such rights and policies to medical centers, hospitals, forensic examiners, sexual assault service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other state entities.
(Sec. 7) DOJ must establish a working group to develop, coordinate, and disseminate best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence. The working group must report its findings and recommended actions.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on May 23, 2016. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 1, 2016: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced it on March 1, 2016, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 9 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 1, 2016, 3845 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3753 days ago, on June 1, 2016.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers