Gaydos Introduces Bill to Close Megan's Law Reporting Loophole, Strengthen Public Safety

July 1, 2026

HARRISBURG - To strengthen Pennsylvania's Megan's Law and improve community safety, Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny) will be introducing legislation to close a loophole in the state's residency reporting requirements for registered sex offenders.

“Megan’s Law was created to help protect our communities by ensuring accurate information is available to law enforcement and the public,” said Gaydos. “Currently, however, someone can avoid reporting an address simply by moving between locations before reaching 30 consecutive days, which creates a gap in the law that puts transparency and public safety at risk. My legislation would close that loophole and help ensure residency information more accurately reflects where registered offenders are spending significant time.”

Under current law, individuals required to register under Megan’s Law must report any address where they reside for 30 or more consecutive days. Gaydos said constituents recently brought to her attention a situation involving a registered offender who was spending a significant amount of time at an alternate location but was able to avoid reporting that address because the individual did not remain there for 30 consecutive days.

As a result, neighbors and local law enforcement may not have an accurate picture of where a registered offender is actually living or spending significant time, limiting the effectiveness of Megan’s Law and undermining its intent to promote public safety through transparency.

“My legislation would remove the word ‘consecutive’ from the residency reporting requirement,” said Gaydos. “Under the change, individuals subject to Megan's Law would be required to report any address where they reside for a total of 30 or more days within a calendar year, regardless of whether those days occur consecutively.”

The legislation is intended to strengthen the effectiveness of Megan’s Law by ensuring residency reporting requirements better reflect where registered offenders are living or spending substantial time, providing more accurate information for law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Representative Valerie Gaydos
44th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Rick Leiner
717.260.6437
rleiner@pahousegop.com
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