Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) announced last week that Assembly Bill 767 passed the Senate Public Safety Committee on a unanimous 6-0 vote.

“As a former deputy sheriff, I spent nearly three decades working to protect children and vulnerable members of our communities,” said Alanis. “Parents should have confidence that every reasonable step is being taken to keep sexually violent predators away from places where children learn, play, and receive care.”

AB 767 strengthens existing safeguards governing the placement of sexually violent predators released into the community. The bill prohibits the placement of certain sexually violent predators within one-quarter mile of home schools and day care centers.

“Public safety is about identifying risks and taking practical steps to reduce them,” Alanis added. “This bill provides additional safeguards for children while ensuring that placement decisions are made with community safety in mind.”

Current law prohibits placement near certain schools under limited circumstances. AB 767 expands and clarifies those protections by ensuring day care centers are included and by providing clearer definitions to guide implementation.

AB 767 now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill was prompted by the outcry when state officials planned to release convicted predator Kevin Gray to a rural Keyes address near where children are.

Gray, whose crimes date back more than 50 years, admitted to molesting 25 children and having committed 1,000 acts of indecent exposure against female victims between the ages of 8 and 11.

A renewed search led to the N. Central Avenue residence. But it was also too close to a home school. Appeals reached the California Supreme Court, determining that the home school did not meet the technical definition – and the case made its way back to Stanislaus County Superior Court.