Karly Rain Wood Act

Public Safety Protection: The primary purpose of the Act is to protect the public from repeat violent felons through a comprehensive national registration system (Section 2).

Enhanced Public Access to Information: Each jurisdiction must maintain a public website that allows people to search for relevant information regarding repeat violent felons by ZIP Code or geographic radius (Section 7(a)(1), Section 7(a)(2)).

Targeted Community Notifications: The Repeat Violent Felon Community Notification Program will provide information to specific groups, including schools, public housing agencies, and organizations that work with minors or vulnerable individuals (Section 9(b)(2), Section 9(b)(6)).

Information Sharing for Background Checks: The Act ensures that notification is provided to agencies responsible for conducting employment-related background checks (Section 9(b)(4)).

Support for Jurisdictions: The Act provides for a management assistance program where the Attorney General may award grants to help jurisdictions offset the costs of implementing the requirements (Section 12(b)(1)).

Criminal Penalties for Non-compliance: Repeat violent felons who fail to comply with the registration requirements face a criminal penalty that includes a maximum term of imprisonment greater than one year (Section 5(h)(1)).

Strict Registration and Verification Burdens: Individuals are required to provide extensive personal information, including DNA samples, fingerprints, and detailed travel itineraries, and must appear in person at a facility at least once every 90 days to verify their information (Section 5(c), Section 5(d)).

Mandatory Lifetime Registration: The requirement to keep registration current lasts for the entire life of the repeat violent felon, excluding time spent in custody or civil commitment (Section 5(f)).

Public Disclosure of Information: Details regarding a repeat violent felon’s identity, residence, and employment are made available to the public on internet websites (Section 7(a)(1)).

Potential for Financial Penalties to Jurisdictions: If a jurisdiction fails to substantially implement the Act, the Attorney General may reduce its federal funding by 10 percent (Section 11(c)(1)).