First Step Taken To Prevent 34,000 From Falling Off Sexual Offender Registry

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/17/2025) A thinned-out state Senate worked across party lines to pass legislation Tuesday designed to prevent 34,000 people with sexual-related crimes on their record from being removed from the state's public sex offender registry.

SB 424 also prevents Michigan from becoming a safe harbor for out-of-staters with sexual assaults on their records, requiring them to still put their name on the public registry. Behind the scenes work on the bill, introduced by Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) last week, ran through the morning and into the afternoon as staff educated members on the issue.

Michigan’s Capitol Building

The Attorney General's office, Governor's Office and the Michigan State Police worked with the Senate to craft a bill that makes it clear that Michigan residents with out-of-state convictions must put their name on the Sex Offender Registry. It also follows a court requirement that creates a pathway for folks on the registry to get off after 25 years. It also removes the requirement that folks on the registry report temporary changes in address.

Without new legislative action by July 21, the federal court order would have allowed a combined 34,000 people to be removed from the Registry.

“Due to the timeline with the court case, we felt it was important to take action today, especially with limited opportunity to take care of business here with the House's limited schedule as well as the limited days on the calendar,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids).  “It was important to do this in terms of making sure that people are safe in our communities.”

The House is not in session this week with several Republican members being in Washington D.C. Tuesday and Thursday being the state holiday of Juneteenth. The House and Senate are both in session next week, and after that are the July 4 holiday and limited session days due to summer recess.

With 10 Republican and three Democratic senators missing, the bill passed, 20-4. Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.) and Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) cast no votes. Nearly all the missing Republican senators were in Washington D.C.

Chang, chair of the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, acknowledged that gaps exist in the Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA) due to the court rulings, but she would have preferred to take a little more time over the summer to “get it right” and “address the problems more fully.”

Irwin said he'd prefer to see how the courts further handled the issue before taking action.