Running for the Republican nomination to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate, Congressman Ron DeSantis brought out a bill to Thursday to crack down on child predators.
DeSantis unveiled the “Targeting Child Predators Act" on Thursday. The bill would change how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) deal with suspected child predators.
Currently, law enforcement officials can subpoena ISPs to reveal IP addresses when they suspect someone is a child molester. Under DeSantis’ bill, ISPs would have to wait 180 days before revealing to customers that their IP address and other information was sent to law enforcement.
“Investigations targeting child predators should not yield an inch when it comes to bringing these predators to justice,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “These suspects cannot be given the opportunity to destroy evidence and cover their tracks once law enforcement starts to investigate their nefarious activity.
“The Targeting Child Predators Act is a sensible reform that ensures that Internet Service Providers provide law enforcement a limited window of time to investigate before notifying the suspected child predator of the existence of a lawfully-issued subpoena,” DeSantis added. “This will help make sure that these online predators are swiftly prosecuted and that our children are protected."
DeSantis rounded up some of the leading conservative Republicans in Congress to back his bill. Cosponsors include Jason Chaffetz of Utah, Trent Franks of Arizona, Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, Steve King of Iowa and Lamar Smith of Texas. The National Association of Police Organizations and the National District Attorneys Association are also behind the bill.
The Florida congressman is running in a crowded Republican primary to replace Rubio. Businessman Carlos Beruff, Congressman David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and businessman and Army veteran Todd Wilcox are running in the primary which will be held at the end of August.
