A Moment with Mike for June 4th, 2008

Seventy-seven percent of Americans now have Internet access at home and nearly 100 percent of public schools have Internet access, as well as most libraries. The Internet is a great resource to our young Missourians for homework help, educational games and communicating with parents and teachers. However, we are not always aware of the doors that technology can open for predators and abusers. To help protect Missourians, we passed legislation to help crack down on the growing threat of cyber crimes.
Our previous harassment statute limited harassment to offensive language or threats to commit a felony against a person in writing or by phone. The legislation we passed brings this statute in line with current technology by including harassment from computers, text messages and other electronic devices. Under the bill, repeat offenders and anyone who is at least 21 year old can be charged with a felony and face up to four years in prison if they harass a minor. Other instances of harassment remain a Class A misdemeanor, which carries up to a year in jail and fines up to $1,000. It also expands state laws against stalking to cover "credible threats" not only against the victim, but also family and household members and animals.
While these changes will no doubt help us properly prosecute those who harass Missourians, I could argue that equally important is the fact that this issue is coming to light and will hopefully encourage Missouri parents, guardians and teachers to take this threat seriously. As your legislator, I want to protect your family, and one of the best ways I can do this is by drawing attention to the issue of cyber harassment and working with you to do all we can to monitor and protect the children in our lives from those who seek to use technology to do them harm.
Unfortunately, we can’t be with our children 24 hours a day and have to trust that they will listen to the dangers we educate them about. But it is also important to make sure our schools are on the alert. The legislation we passed requires school officials to tell police about harassment and stalking on school grounds. We hope this increased protection will encourage Missouri parents to work closely with their children, the state, law enforcement and our schools to prevent harassment and identify and stop it immediately if it does occur.
We also passed a bill this year to protect Missourians from another cyber threat – one from those who attempt to lure and sexually exploit children. Senate Bill 932 creates the Cyber Crimes Investigation Fund to provide $3 million per year for the existing Internet Cyber Crime Grant (ICCG) program that targets Internet predators and pornographers. The measure allows funds used for investigating Internet sex crimes against children to also include an allocation for training prosecuting and circuit attorneys. The additional funding this bill authorizes will greatly enhance protection for Missouri’s children from the threat of online predators.
If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 406A State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.