Asa Hutchinson: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3494, the Child Protection and Sexual Predator Punishment Act of 1998, is a very important piece of…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3494, the Child Protection and Sexual Predator Punishment Act of 1998, is a very important piece of legislation that responds to the horrifying threat of sex crimes against children, particularly crimes against children facilitated by the Internet. The House passed this measure in June by a vote of 416 to zero, and the other body passed the bill with amendments by unanimous consent this past Friday night. Mr. Speaker, industry experts estimate that more than 10 million children currently spend time on the information superhighway; and by the year 2002, 45 million children will use the Internet to talk with friends, do homework assignments and explore the vast world around them. Computer technologies and Internet innovations have unveiled a world of information that is literally just a mouse click away. Unfortunately, individuals who seek children to sexually exploit and victimize them are also a mouse click away. Sex offenders who prey on children no longer need to hang out in parks or malls or school yards. Instead, they can roam from web site to chat room seeking victims with little risk of detection. The anonymous nature of the online relationship allows users to misrepresent their age, gender or interests. Children are rarely supervised while they are on the Internet. Unfortunately, this is exactly what cyber-predators look for.”