Pennsylvania passes 'Alicia's Law' to fund child internet crime prosecution
Pennsylvania's General Assembly has unanimously approved House Bill 1098, allocating up to $5 million annually to combat online child exploitation. The bill now goes to the governor for signature.
Pennsylvania General Assembly unanimously backs $5m child internet crime bill
Pennsylvania's General Assembly has unanimously approved legislation to strengthen the state's capacity to investigate and prosecute internet crimes against children, tristatealert.com reports. House Bill 1098 authorises up to $5 million annually in grants to expand the Investigation and Prosecution of Internet Crimes Against Children Program within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
The bill was sponsored in the House by Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-46) and carried in the Senate as Senate Bill 1335 by Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-37). It now heads to the governor's desk for signature.
Under the legislation, PCCD would be authorised to award grants to specialised task forces focused on investigating and prosecuting internet-based crimes against minors. Eligible uses of funding include support for investigators, prosecutors, and forensic specialists, as well as education for professionals handling cases involving human trafficking, sexual offences, child sexual abuse, unlawful contact with minors, and online sexual exploitation of children.
The bill also allows state funding to supplement existing federal Internet Crimes Against Children grants, enabling local and state task forces to expand their capabilities. Specialised training provisions would equip personnel with the latest investigative techniques in a rapidly changing technological environment. PCCD would be required to establish application guidelines and grant evaluation criteria, while ensuring equitable geographic distribution of funding across the commonwealth.
"As more and more children have access to the internet at a young age, the predators we once worried about on our streets are now sitting behind computers and smartphones interacting with innocent children," Robinson said. "By providing the funding and tools needed to better investigate and prosecute these horrendous crimes, our children will be safer and better protected."
Named after a survivor of the nation's first known online child abduction
The legislation is designated "Alicia's Law" in honour of Alicia Kozak — born Kozakiewicz — a Pittsburgh-area resident who was abducted, sexually assaulted, and tortured at age 13 by a man she had met online. The case is recognised as the nation's first known internet-facilitated child abduction.
Kozak described her ordeal in a statement accompanying the bill's passage. "Twenty-four years ago, when I was 13, a man drove to Pittsburgh and kidnapped me from my home," she said. "He held me captive and livestreamed the abuse. I was rescued because a viewer recognised me from my missing-person poster and called law enforcement. My rescue felt like a miracle, but no child's safety should depend on a miracle."
Kozak has since dedicated herself to educating families and students about online safety and advocating for stronger child protections. "Predators are in every community, and they are targeting our children," she said. "Pennsylvania's Internet Crimes Against Children task forces need the investigators, training, and resources to uncover these crimes, stop offenders, and protect children."
Ortitay framed the legislation as a direct response to the current scale of online access among minors. "Alicia's story is not a relic of the early internet," he said. "It's a preview of what happens when kids have unlimited access to strangers online, and we don't give law enforcement the tools to keep up. With social media now in the hands of children as young as nine or ten, these crimes are not slowing down. They are accelerating. This law puts Pennsylvania on offense."
If signed into law by the governor, Pennsylvania would become the 14th state to enact Alicia's Law.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)