Gov. John Hoeven signed a trio of bills Tuesday to increase punishments for sexual offenders.

"All of these bills go to strengthen our laws to keep violent offenders off the street and protect our public," Hoeven said.

The first bill, conceived from a nationwide legislative model known as Jessica's Law, would require a minimum sentence and lifetime supervised probation for those convicted of a violent sexual offense.

North Dakota will join about half of the states in the country in having some form of Jessica's Law. The law is named after Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2005.

Bonnie Palecek, executive director of the North Dakota Council on Abused Women's Services, said the North Dakota version will increase accountability for sex offenders.

"It makes us all safer so perhaps we don't become victims," Palecek said.

Under current North Dakota law, courts have wide discretion - ranging from probation to life in prison -when it comes to punishing sexual offenders.

Assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney Cynthia Feland said it's currently rare to get a conviction of 20 years or more in sex offender cases.

"There are a number of cases we tried that we thought deserved these types of penalties, but we didn't get them," Feland said.

She said the new law "sends a message that people want meaningful sentences in sex crimes."

The second sex offender law that Hoeven signed Tuesday applies to courts' ability to commit the sexual offenders to the state hospital in Jamestown.

Under current law, two mental health experts must testify that the alleged sex offender has a mental disorder that makes him or her likely to engage in further sexually predatory acts. The new law brings this number down to just one expert.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said this would give courts more leeway in dealing with the most serious sex offenders - those who are likely to offend time and time again.

The third bill applies to paroled sex offenders who are monitored with global positioning satellite devices. It toughens the penalties for sex offenders who break the requirements of their monitoring, as set by the court.

All three bills received widespread support from both parties in the Legislature.

Sen. Carolyn Nelson, D-Fargo, said she co-sponsored the Jessica's Law bill despite an aversion to mandatory minimum sentences.

"Normally, I don't support mandatory minimums," Nelson said. "But I do think people who do very serious things have to have some kind of minimum that will impact them."

Stenehjem said the combined effect of all the bills make North Dakota less hospitable to sex offenders.

"I think they are going to send the message far and wide that North Dakota is not a safe haven for sex offenders," Stenehjem said.