Two proposed federal bills aimed at stopping registered sex offenders from using the Internet to prey on children or access child pornography would give local law enforcement officials and district attorneys' offices more tools to prevent, investigate and prosecute sex crimes. The SAFE Act of 2007 would require electronic communications service providers such as America Online to report any explicit child porn they discover to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which will turn the information over to law enforcement. Providers failing to report such sites could face a fine of $150,000 for the first offense and $300,000 for subsequent offenses. The KIDS Act of 2007 would require sexual predators to register their e-mail addresses and instant-message screen names with authorities for placement on the National Sex Offender Register. The bills are sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-Arizona). According to Parents For Megan's Law, Suffolk County currently has 829 registered sex offenders, while Nassau has 480.

Submitted on: 02/21/07