LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, issued the following statement in response to U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland’s Friday ruling gutting the state’s sex offender registration law:
“I am deeply troubled by today’s ruling of the federal district court to toss out the protections enshrined by the Sex Offender Registration Act so that it no longer applies to any violators who committed their crimes before 2011.
“The public has a right to be protected from dangerous sex offenders loitering or living in a student safety zone, among other common sense protections, to ensure they are not a danger to our community or could be harming children ever again.
“I’m looking forward to helping craft a solution that brings the Sex Offender Registry Act into constitutional compliance while ensuring that we keep an eye on some of the more dangerous members of our society.
“Today’s ruling will take effect 60 days after the judgment is entered, which should happen in about a month. During this time, my Senate colleagues and I will work with our friends in the House and in the governor’s office to pass legislation that achieves a proper balance in the law.”