Sorry it has been posted before... I missed it.
Link:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...e_offenders_dc
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) signed a law on Friday that would post information on sex offenders on the Internet, giving Californians easier access to details on violators.
Under the legislation, the home address, name, photo and other details of sex offenders will be posted online. Previously such information was only available at places such as police stations in California.
"By providing sex offender information on the Internet, California will finally join the majority of other states that make this information accessible to parents and others," said Schwarzenegger, a father of four.
"That being said, we have a long way to go to make California a leader in protecting our children."
The law comes after impassioned debate over how to defend the rights of citizens to know of potential danger against the rights of individuals released from prison.
The 1995 federal Megan's Law, named for a seven-year-old who was raped and murdered in a New Jersey town by a sex offender neighbor, encouraged states to set up sex offender registries for public review. All states have some sort of registry, but they vary greatly in accessibility.
As he worked through hundreds of bills ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to approve or veto, Schwarzenegger also backed a law sought by environmentalists and opposed by ocean cruise agencies to bar liners from dumping sewage near the shore.
On Friday, Schwarzenegger also signed a bill that requires phone companies to gain a cellular phone customer's consent before publishing a directory that includes their number.