Ch. 754

1997 LAWS OF MARYLAND

receipt of the notices; requiring that a registration statement include certain
information; requiring a sexual offender to notify the Department within a certain
period of time after changing residences; requiring a sexual offender to register with
the Department annually for a certain period of time; requiring the Department to
transmit specified information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; requiring a
court to determine, at a certain stage of the criminal proceedings, whether a person
who is convicted of a sexually violent offense is a sexually violent predator;
authorizing a State's Attorney to request the court to consider certain evidence in
making the determination requiring the Court of Appeals to adopt certain rules;
requiring certain supervising authorities to send written notice of the release of a
sexually violent predator to the local law enforcement agency in the county where
the offender will reside; requiring that the written notice contain certain
information; requiring that the notice be sent to certain persons on request and to
certain other persons under certain circumstances; requiring a local law
enforcement agency to send a copy of a registration, within a certain period, to the
Department; requiring a local law enforcement agency to send copies of registration
statements to certain persons under certain circumstances; authorizing a law
enforcement agency to provide electronic access to copies of certain registration
statements to certain persons who request the information on the Internet;
requiring a local law enforcement agency to provide certain notice to the
Department and certain other persons of a sexually violent predator's change in
address; requiring that a local law enforcement agency provide certain notice and a
copy of a registration statement to the police department of a municipal corporation
under certain circumstances; requiring the Department to mail certain verification
forms; authorizing the Department to release certain information in accordance
with regulations established by the Department; allowing a sexually violent predator
who has been registered under this Act for a certain length of time to file a petition
requesting a court to rule that the person is no longer a sexually violent predator;
requiring the petition to be filed with a certain court; requiring the court to consider
certain information on the filing of the petition; requiring the court to take certain
actions concerning the petition within a certain period of time; specifying the effect
of the court's action concerning the petition; requiring a sexually violent predator,
under certain circumstances, to verify the predator's place of residence and report
changes of address to the supervising authority local law enforcement agency;
making the violation of any provision of this Act a penitentiary misdemeanor;
imposing certain penalties; requiring the Department to conduct certain public
education and awareness programs; requiring the Director of Mental Hygiene to
appoint one or more boards on sexually violent predators; requiring the Director to
establish rules governing a board; specifying the duties of a board; authorizing
members of a board to receive compensation; providing for the construction of this
Act; providing that certain information is not a material fact to be disclosed by a
real estate licensee; providing for the application of this Act; defining certain terms;
and generally relating to sexually violent predators.

FOR the purpose of establishing procedures for determining whether a person is a sexually
violent predator; requiring a supervising authority to send copies of a registration
statement to specified agencies and individuals when an individual who was convicted of
a specified crime is released or escapes; requiring a registrant to register with a

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