Opinion ID: 1870902
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Federal Registration Requirements.

Text: The federal sex offender registration act (SORA) [2] requires that states, to continue to receive certain federal funding, must pass laws requiring a person to register if convicted of a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor or a sexually violent offense, unless at the time of the crime the person was under 19 and the conduct was criminal due only to the victim's age. 42 U.S.C.A. sec. 14071(a)(1)(A), (a)(3)(A) (2005) (emphasis added). SORA narrowly defines the phrase a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor as only those state crimes that are comparable to or exceed the range of offenses that violate SORA. Id. at (a)(3)(A). It only applies to persons who have convictions. A person with multiple or aggravated offense convictions, or who is an SVP, must register for life; other offenders must register for 10 years. Id. at (a)(1), (b)(6). States were required to enact registration statutes within 3 years. Id. at (g).