H.R. 3796: Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2012-01-19 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-01-19 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2012

Plain summary

Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Amends the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Adam Walsh Act) to authorize appropriations through FY2017 for: (1) the Sex Offender Management Assistance (SOMA) program, (2) the Jessica Lunsford Address Verification Grant Program, and (3) federal assistance to states in locating and apprehending sex offenders who violate sex offender registration requirements. Requires a tier III sex offender to maintain a clean record for 15 (currently, 25) years to qualify for a reduction in the period for which such offender must keep a sex offender registration current. Allows a jurisdiction to exempt from disclosure through the Internet any information about a sex offender for whom the offense giving rise to the duty to register was one for which the offender was adjudicated delinquent (or otherwise convicted) as a juvenile. Modifies penalty provisions applicable to states that fail to substantially implement sex offender registration and notification requirements under the Adam Walsh Act to require such states to return to the Attorney General for reallocation to other jurisdictions (including local governments) 10% of amounts allocable to those states under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. Directs the National Institute of Justice to report on the public safety impact, recidivism, and collateral consequences of long-term registration of juvenile sex offenders. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations through FY2017 for juvenile sex offender treatment grants.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Mark E. Amodei (R-NV)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr3796.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr3796 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112