On Monday, the U.S. House passed a bill from a Florida congressman targeting child predators.
The full House agreed to the “Targeting Child Predators Act” from U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. The proposal would make Internet Service Providers (ISP) delay informing possible online child predators of any law enforcement inquiries for six months.
“Law enforcement can often obtain the IP address of a suspected child predator and then subpoena Internet Service Providers for the user information attached to the IP address,” DeSantis’ office noted earlier this year. “ISPs may then inform the user of the law enforcement inquiry, enabling suspected child predators to wipe clean their accounts and delete potential evidence. The Targeting Child Predators Act would amend 18 USC Section 3486, requiring that ISPs, in the very specific case of child exploitation, wait 180 days prior to disclosing to a specific user that their information was requested by law enforcement.”
Back in March, DeSantis made the case for his proposal.
“As a former prosecutor, I know firsthand just how valuable electronic evidence can be to target predators and protect our children ” DeSantis said. “The Targeting Child Predators Act will prevent suspects from destroying evidence and covering their tracks, giving law enforcement the tools they need to better investigate these heinous crimes. This is a sensible reform that aims to better protect our children from exploitation online and I hope this bill is taken up by the full House as soon as possible”
DeSantis introduced the bill last year, when he was making a brief bid for the U.S. Senate, but it went nowhere. After U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced that he was going to run for a second term, DeSantis bowed out of the race and shifted his focus to winning a third term in the House.
After DeSantis brought the proposal back in February, it gained far more traction. The House Judiciary Committee cleared it towards the end of March. As he continued to advocate for the proposal. DeSantis reeled in eight cosponsors including Republican U.S. Reps. Trent Franks of Arizona, James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and Lamar Smith of Texas. So far, there is no Senate counterpart yet.
On Monday, after his bill moved through the House, DeSantis thanked his fellow representatives for their support.
“After speaking with Florida law enforcement about the challenges they face when tracking suspects online, I introduced the Targeting Child Predators Act,” DeSantis said. “I applaud my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for stepping up tonight and voting to give our law enforcement the tools they need to protect vulnerable children.”
A similar proposal was proposed in the Florida Legislature this year, backed by Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarastoa, and Rep. Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa, but this legislation died in committee.
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