Registering offenders

That no ex post facto law, nor law impairing the obligation of contracts, or retrospective in its operation, or making any irrevocable grant of special privileges or immunities, can be enacted. -- Missouri Constitution, Article I, Section 13.

It is those five word in the middle, "or retrospective in its operation," that have received considerable attention in recent months. Last June, the Missouri Supreme Court said sex offenders convicted before Jan. 1, 1995 -- when the state's Megan's Law requiring the registration of sex offenders went into effect -- did not have to register because of those words.

Advocates for requiring all sex offenders to inform authorities of their whereabouts would like to remove those words.

That's what state Sen. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau hopes to accomplish with legislation he has filed that would put the issue to a statewide vote.

We have supported the registration of sex offenders. It is important for the public to know if convicted sex offenders are living nearby.

The aim of Crowell's proposal is good. Questions raised about the scope of the proposed amendment can be sorted out in the legislative process. New wording -- or deleting of words -- in the state's Bill of Rights should be considered carefully with the aim of avoiding problems while attempting to fix a specific flaw. In the end, we hope a reasonable way can be found to make sure all sex offenders are required to register with local authorities.