By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor

Why do we get the feeling we’re going to be seeing this on campaign literature next year?

John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), who is emerging as the establishment GOP candidate for Attorney General next year, is getting a boost from his colleagues in the Pa. Senate.

From yesterday’s Pa. Sen. GOP press release:

Legislation cosponsored by Sen. John Rafferty (R-Montgomery) to strengthen Pennsylvania’s laws and better protect children from sexual offenders was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

The measure was amended to strengthen its provisions, close loopholes in current law, and ensure that the Commonwealth complies with federally mandated national standards to strengthen sex offender registration and notification.

“This is a critical step in establishing a coordinated and national system for the registration of sexual offenders and closing existing loopholes – so that we can better enforce laws and keep children safe,” Rafferty said.  “This bill creates a national registry and that law enforcement officers can access and will be available on the Internet.  It also toughens penalties for offenders and ensures that they are more carefully tracked if they move from state to state.”