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A House committee unanimously passed HB149, also known as "Miley's bill": legislation that would require felony child abuse offenders to be a part of a new Utah registry. Miley is the name child abuse victim, the granddaughter of JoAnn Otten, one of the main supporters of the bill.
Initially, the bill was presented as an add-on to the sex offender and kidnapper registry, but the committee stalled action, suggesting that it would be more effective as a stand-alone registry.
The bill requires a person to be registered for 10 years, and in some cases, up to a lifetime. It now heads to the full House.
Otten said once her granddaughter was hurt, "I made a vow that I would do everything that I possibly could to protect children."
She was joined by Genevieve Adams, a mother of a victim of child abuse who heard about the bill through news reports. Both testified there is no price too high to pay when it came to the safety of their children.
Rep. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green and sponsor of the bill, compared it to GPS, saying it was made to avoid accidents. He called it "an awareness bill" that could help families "divert around challenges that might be ahead."
HB149 now heads to the full House for consideration.