Dick Zimmer, N.J. Congressman Who Sponsored Megan’s Law, Dies at 81
The New York Times••nation
Key Points:
- Dick Zimmer, a three-term Republican congressman from New Jersey and sponsor of Megan’s Law, died at age 81 due to myelodysplasia, a blood disorder.
- Zimmer, known as a fiscal conservative, notably supported Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, breaking with his party.
- First elected in 1990, Zimmer sponsored Megan’s Law following the 1994 murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a twice-convicted sex offender living nearby.
- Megan’s Law, passed unanimously by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996, requires states to disclose the locations of convicted sex offenders via public websites.
- The law has withstood constitutional challenges from offenders claiming privacy violations,
