SB 629 Killed in Assembly Public Safety Committee

Measure would have required registered sex offenders to renew their driver’s license on an annual basis.

Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) expressed his disappointment that Senate Bill 629, a bill that would have required registered sex offenders to renew their driver’s licenses on an annual basis, was killed by Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

This was a common sense measure to give law enforcement another tool to track these sex offenders,” Senator Dutton said. “Even though this bill received unanimous support from both Republicans and Democrats as it passed the Senate, Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee killed this important measure that would have helped track these registered sex offenders.”

Senator Dutton introduced SB 629 after learning that the whereabouts of nearly 18,000 sex offenders are unaccounted in California according to the Department of Justice. Requiring these sex offenders to renew their driver’s license on an annual basis would have helped track many of these sex offenders who, for whatever reason, haven’t properly registered with their local law enforcement agency.

Even more surprising to Senator Dutton was who spoke out against the bill to protect California’s children. The bill received strong support from the California District Attorneys Association, California Peace Officers Association, California Attorney General and San Bernardino County Sheriff, however a representative from the California Prisoners Union spoke out against the measure.



You would think California’s Attorney General and the San Bernardino County Sheriff would carry more clout than the union representing California prisoners, but that’s apparently not the case in the Assembly Public Safety Committee,” Senator Dutton said.

SB 629 failed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 2-4 vote. Assembly members Jay LaSeur and Todd Spitzer, both Republicans, voted yes for the bill. Assembly members Mark Leno, Jackie Goldberg, Ira Ruskin and Loni Hancock, all Democrats, voted against the measure.

While SB 629 will not become law in January, Senator Dutton vowed to introduce similar legislation next year.

As a member of the California Legislature I believe one of my primary responsibilities is to protect the residents of the state, especially our children,” Senator Dutton said. “I will continue to introduce legislation like SB 629 that will give law enforcement the tools necessary to make our neighborhoods a safer place for families to live, work and play.”