Is there an “effective sunset provision” in the Adam Walsh Act?
Added Ques. 1-19-07 The traditional definition of “sunset provision,” is that somewhere, written into the law, is a date that the law will repeal itself automatically unless extended by the legislature. There is no “sunset provision” in the Adam Walsh Act, nor is there such a provision in the prior laws. However, notice I termed it “effective sunset provision,” by that I mean there is a provision within AWA that repeals the prior federal laws (42 USC 14071, 14072, and 14073 collectively the Jacob Wetterling Act and the Pam Lychner Act and a few other amendments) and replaces them with the Adam Walsh Act. See 42 USC 16929(a). One reader called it a “retroactive sunset provision,” well I guess, but I settled on, it is “effectively a sunset provision.” The essence is, the old federal law is gone AS OF A CERTAIN DATE and a new federal law takes its place. Immediately that raises a new question, “Will the States have to repeal their existing registration laws?,” I don’t think so because of
