Ed. note: An earlier version of this story indicated the law would go into effect in July 2016. The story has been updated to correct the error.
Starting in July 2017, Indiana will become the first state in the nation maintaining a child abuse offender registry,
The new law tracks anyone who has ever been convicted in Indiana of child neglect – or physical or sexual abuse of a child.
The Offender Registry will be maintained by the Division of State Court Administration.
For someone’s name to be added to the registry, they would have to be convicted in Indiana of neglect of a dependent, child selling, battery against a child, and or sexual offenses committed against a child.
The Indiana Senate and House both voted unanimously during the recent legislative session to pass the bill. Governor Mike Pence held a signing ceremony for the bill in Middlebury, Indiana earlier this week.
The provision has been dubbed “Kirk’s Law” after a child who died in 2014 while in the care of a daycare provider. Court records later indicated that same provider had been previously convicted of child neglect.
