Assembly Minority members today hailed the bi-partisan agreement on Megan's Law that was achieved in a joint conference committee between both houses of the state legislature.

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R-C-I, Schenectady, Saratoga) called the agreement "a victory for children and families."

"There are a lot of people congratulating me for this victory because my conference was hammering away on this issue but the fact is the victors are the children and the families," said Tedisco. "In the end, both houses and both parties came together along with the Governor and did the right thing."

Under the agreement, the most serious sex offenders, Level 3 offenders, will continue to register for life under Megan's Law Sex Offender Registry. In addition, Level 2 sex offenders will now face lifetime registration requirements.

Under the agreement, Level 2 sex offenders who are currently required to register for just 10 years will now be required to register for 30 years. Once registered for a minimum of 30 years, they may petition a judge to be removed from the registry.

Level 1 sex offenders, the lowest-risk offenders who now are required to register for 10 years, must be required to register for 20 years, twice as long as the current requirement.

Assemblyman Will Barclay (R-C-I, Onondaga, Oswego) who served on the Joint Conference Committee said, "The quick consensus on this issue is a credit to the importance the Joint Conference Committee has. I am grateful to have played an instrumental role in today's results. This is how Albany should work."

The first 168 Level 1 and Level 2 sex offenders (129 of the 168 are Level 2 or moderate risk) were due to drop off the Megan's Law registry on January 21, with the total jumping to 226 by the end of the month. Now that will not happen.

Tedisco said passage of a strengthened Megan's Law was his conference's first goal regarding sex crimes but that there is more action needed to protect children from pedophiles and sex predators.

"Civil commitment of pedophiles is next," said Tedisco.