Johnson Co-Sponsors Bill to Protect Children Online

Press Release

Johnson Co-Sponsors Bill to Protect Children Online

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) co-sponsored the Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2007 to keep our children safe online and help prosecutors find internet predators. Johnson has long supported a series of measures to improve internet safety for our children.

"Though our neighborhoods in South Dakota are safe places, the Internet can present our children with a scary world outside our front door," Johnson said. "We need to protect our youth online and make the Internet a safe place for South Dakotans."

The legislation, which has bipartisan support, will create an Office of the Special Counsel for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction that will be responsible for coordinating the Department of Justice's strategies to prevent cyber crimes that exploit children.

To assist with investigations and prosecutions, the bill will also establish a National Internet Crimes Against Children Data Network Center to add additional computer forensic capacity for law enforcement. New computer technologies have enabled investigators to track and identify approximately 500,000 individuals that have trafficked child pornography, but due to a lack of resources, only 2 percent of these cases have been pursued. The bill will also authorize increased funding for additional FBI agents and other law enforcement personnel to track down and prosecute these criminals.

Johnson has fought to safeguard children from sexual predators and create safe places for kids online. He supported Dru's Law which created a national Amber Alert system and was an original co-sponsor of legislation that created the National Sex-Offender Public Registry.

In 2006, Johnson also supported the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The legislation strengthened federal laws to protect our children from sexual and other violent crimes, prevent child pornography and make the internet safer for our sons and daughters.
For more information on how to keep your kids safe online, please visit the technology section of Johnson's website at http://johnson.senate.gov/issues/technology.cfm.

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