PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 36 · Passed House amended · May 22, 2017
Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to reauthorize through FY2022 the Sex Offender Management Assistance program.
(Sec. 3) The bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the activities of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and apprehend sex offenders who violate sex offender registration requirements.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
(Sec. 4) It reduces from 25 years to 15 years the required registration period for certain juvenile delinquent sex offenders who maintain a clean record.
(Sec. 5) It allows a state, Indian tribe, or territory to exempt from disclosure on a public website information about juvenile delinquent sex offenders.
(Sec. 6) The bill specifies how to calculate the allocation of Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program funds for local governments after a state's JAG funds are reduced for failure to comply with sex offender registration and notification standards.
(Sec. 7) It amends the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to include additional data in its annual report on the enforcement of sex offender registration requirements.
(Sec. 8) The bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the duties of probation and pretrial services officers to include, when directed by a court, supervision of a sex offender conditionally released from civil commitment subject to court-ordered compliance with a prescribed regimen of medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment.
(Sec. 9) It extends the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a federal sex offense to file a civil action to 10 years (currently, 3 years) from the date such individual reaches age 18.
(Sec. 10) It authorizes DOJ to provide technical assistance to tribal governments to promote access to federal criminal information databases. DOJ's Working Capital Fund may be reimbursed by federally recognized tribes for such technical assistance.
(Sec. 11) The bill allows a state, Indian tribe, or territory to establish an alternative method for a registered sex offender to comply with the in-person verification requirement. DOJ must approve an alternative verification method before it is implemented. (Sec. 12) It limits the aggravated sex abuse offenses that trigger sex offender registration requirements for a juvenile at least 14 years old who is adjudicated delinquent for a comparable or more severe sex offense. (Sec. 13) The National Institute of Justice must report to Congress on the public safety impact, recidivism, and collateral consequences of long-term registration of juvenile sex offenders.
People & committees
Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] · R–WI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4396-4397)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H4396-4397)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1188.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4396-4399)
Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 91.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 115-142.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 115-142.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1188 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1188 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1188 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1188 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.