Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell is participating in the new Cadet Appointment Program (CAP), a scholarship program that was approved by the New York State Legislature. This program enables the governor, state senators and members of the Assembly to nominate eligible students to attend the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College as part of its prestigious Regiment of Cadets.

"This scholarship program is such a great opportunity for a student in our region to earn a great education," O'Connell said. "I'm proud to support this program and I strongly encourage all local students who are interested in engineering, science or business to apply."

According to O'Connell, a highly qualified student from her district will receive a full four-year tuition scholarship to SUNY Maritime, the oldest maritime college in the country. SUNY Maritime, located at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx, offers both bachelor's and master's degrees and specializes in engineering, business and science, and has a 100 percent job placement rate among its graduates.

Students who wish to seek a nomination from Assemblywoman O'Connell must meet the following criteria:

* A combined SAT score of at least 1200;

* A high school GPA of at least 90 percent;

* Demonstrated leadership and community service;

* Meet the college's general admission requirements and participate in the Regiment of Cadets and license program;

* Be a citizen of the United States and have New York state residency for at least one year prior to the student's enrollment to SUNY Maritime College; and,

* Be a first-time freshman.

"Once the student has been accepted to SUNY Maritime and has met the scholarship requirements, I will receive a list of qualified students seeking nomination," O'Connell said. "At that time, I will reach out to the students to set up interviews before an appointment is made."

Maritime College must receive completed applications by March 30. For application materials for admission to Maritime College through the Cadet Appointment Program, please contact Assemblywoman O'Connell's district office at 739-5119 or contact the Maritime College Office of Admissions directly by calling (718) 409-7220 or e-mailing admissions@sunymaritime.edu.

All too often, we hear stories in the news about sexual predators being released from prison, only to commit their crime again. Dru Sjodin was a 22-year-old woman with her whole life ahead of her. She disappeared Nov. 22, 2003 from a mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Her abductor, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., a Level III sex offender, was released from prison in May after serving 23 years.

Rodriguez had a long history of sexual contact and attempted kidnapping with adult females. The question one has to ask is why was Rodriguez released from prison and not referred for civil confinement?

There are no civil confinement laws here in New York State. Under current law, sexually violent predators are released into the community upon the expiration of their prison sentences without the benefit of treatment or care designed to address their unique treatment needs.

We cannot allow these violent sexual predators to be released from prison when it is likely that they will commit such a crime again. It is imperative that we get these dangerous perpetrators out of our towns and commit them to a secure facility until they are completely rehabilitated. Women, children and all individuals deserve to feel secure.

There exists, a small, but extremely dangerous group of sexually violent predators who have mental abnormalities that render them likely to engage in repeated acts of sexual violence. These sexually violent predators may require very long-term treatment, and the treatment modalities for existing involuntary commitments are inadequate to address their risk to re-offend.

That is why I am co-sponsoring civil confinement legislation that would allow a judge to order a high-risk sex offender be held in a secure facility beyond their maximum prison term to allow continued treatment and protect communities from re-offense.

In 1997, the Supreme Court upheld a Kansas law allowing sex offenders deemed incorrigible to be held indefinitely in mental hospitals after serving their prison sentences. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court voted that civil confinement was constitutional because a sexual predator statute determined to be civil in nature was not punitive and therefore did not violate the Constitution's "double jeopardy" clause that prohibits multiple punishments for the same crime. In 2002, the United States Supreme Court further clarified the criteria that states must meet to commit sexual predators and that states must prove that offenders have "serious difficulty" controlling their violent behavior.

Passage of a civil confinement law in New York must be a high priority for this session. Since 1993, Assembly Republicans have been pushing this legislation that is supported by Governor Pataki and the Senate. How many more women and children have to be sexually assaulted before this important legislation is passed? I do not want violent sexual predators, who still pose a threat, released from prison and living in our community. Do you?