Issue Brief 11-16
May 16, 2011
Summary 


The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (P.L.109-248), established a new set of minimum national standards for sex offender registries and notification laws. It also included penalties for states, territories, and tribal jurisdictions that fail to meet the compliance requirements and deadlines. Non-compliant states are subject to a 10% reduction in Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding. States that received an extension under the law now face an upcoming deadline of July 27, 2011. Those failing to meet the deadline are being offered the option of having their 10% penalty reallocated to them for the sole purpose of implementing SORNA.