Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act
Official title: To require any person who is convicted of a State criminal offense against a victim who is a minor to register a current address with law enforcement officials… Show full official titleShow less
Official title: To require any person who is convicted of a State criminal offense against a victim who is a minor to register a current address with law enforcement officials of the State for 10 years after release from prison, parole, or supervision.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for State programs requiring persons convicted of a criminal offense against a minor to register a current address with a designated State law enforcement agency (LEA) for ten years after being released from prison or being placed on parole, supervised release, or probation.
Sets forth requirements for an approved State registration program, including requirements to: (1) inform persons of their duty to register and obtain the information required for such registration; (2) inform such persons of requirements applicable if they change residence to another State; (3) obtain fingerprints and a photograph; and (4) enter information into the State law enforcement record system. Directs the officer (or, in the case of a person placed on probation, the court) to forward required information to the designated State LEA, which shall immediately transmit the conviction data and fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Provides that the information collected under a State registration program shall be treated as private data on individuals and may be disclosed only to LEAs for investigative purposes or to government agencies conducting confidential background checks with fingerprints on applicants for child care positions or other positions involving contact with children.
Requires a person who has been convicted of an offense which triggered registration in a State to register a new address with a designated LEA in another State to which the person moves within ten days of establishing residence in the new State, if such State has a registration requirement.
Subjects a person required to register under a State program who knowingly fails to register and keep such registration current to criminal penalties in that State.
Specifies that the allocation of Bureau of Justice Assistance grant funds under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 received by a State not complying with the provisions of this Act within three years may be reduced by ten percent. Requires such unallocated funds to be reallocated to the States in compliance with this Act.
- Engrossed in House Formatted Text PDF
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF
- Referred in Senate Formatted Text PDF
- Reported in House Formatted Text PDF
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 324: Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act. 103rd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-324/
"H.R. 324: Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act." 103rd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-324/.
H.R. 324, 103rd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-324/.
[H.R. 324: Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Registration Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-324/)