The bill additionally reauthorizes International Megan’s Law, another Smith bill requiring convicted child sex offenders to notify the government when they travel internationally.
Reauthorize International Megan's Law, including the requirement that convicted child sex offenders notify the government when they travel internationally.
Occurrences
Smith also highlighted the bill’s provisions to extend his International Megan’s Law (PL 114-119), which requires notification to foreign governments when convicted U.S. child sex offenders attempt to travel abroad—closing dangerous loopholes that predators had exploited.
Evidence
Congress.gov lists the bill's latest action as becoming Public Law No. 114-119 on 2016-02-08 and shows the bill status as Became Law.
Congress.gov lists H.R. 515 with sponsor Rep. Christopher H. Smith [R-NJ-4], introduced 2015-01-22. The latest action is 2016-02-08, when it became Public Law No. 114-119, and the bill status is Became Law.
Public Law 114-119 states its purpose is to protect children by providing advance notice of intended travel by registered sex offenders outside the United States to the government of the destination country. It cites H.R. 515 and names the Act as International Megan's Law.
Section 6 amends SORNA to require information relating to intended travel outside the United States, including anticipated dates and places of departure, arrival, or return, destination country and contact information, means and purpose of travel, and other travel-related information required by the Attorney General. It also creates criminal penalties for knowingly failing to provide required international travel information and then engaging or attempting to engage in the intended foreign travel.
28 CFR 72.6(d) requires sex offenders to provide information about intended travel outside the United States. 28 CFR 72.7(f) requires reporting intended travel outside the United States to the residence jurisdiction at least 21 days in advance of the intended travel.
The Justice Department final rule says Section 6 of International Megan's Law amended SORNA to require sex offenders to provide registry information relating to intended travel outside the United States and added a criminal provision for international travel reporting violations. The rule states that intended international travel must be reported at least 21 days in advance.
Congress.gov lists H.R. 4573 with sponsor Rep. Christopher H. Smith [R-NJ-4], introduced 2014-05-06. The bill passed the House by voice vote on 2014-05-20 and was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on 2014-12-11, but its status remained Passed House.
Congress.gov identifies Christopher H. Smith as a Republican House member for New Jersey District 4 from the 97th through 119th Congresses, 1981-present.
Assessments
Smith sponsored H.R. 515 in the 114th Congress, which became Public Law 114-119 on February 8, 2016 as International Megan's Law. The enacted law amended SORNA to require covered sex offenders to report intended international travel, and DOJ regulations later implemented the 21-day advance notice requirement. This occurred well after the 1999-2000 House term tied to the 1998 campaign, but Smith was still serving in the same federal office and materially advanced the enacted bill, so it counts as delivered with later_term timing.
Christopher H. Smith directly sponsored H.R. 515, the International Megan's Law bill, and Congress.gov shows it became Public Law 114-119 on February 8, 2016. The enacted law established the federal advance-notification framework for covered sex offenders traveling internationally, which matches the substance of the promise. Because Smith was the bill sponsor and the measure became law while he was still serving in office, this counts as full delivery in the same term rather than partial credit.