Federal sex offender list proposed in Congress

The Senate Judiciary Committee is preparing to vote on a bill that would create a nationwide database to track sex offenders and people who commit crimes against children.

Under the bill, offenders would be required to update their personal identification data in their resident states and have their photographs and fingerprints taken at regular intervals for, in some cases, at least 20 years after sentencing or release from prison. States currently maintain separate sex offender databases. The Department of Justice in May took a step toward consolidation when it announced plans to create a Web site that will link to public registries across the country.