On the recordJune 30, 2011
Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to help protect children from Internet predators and pornographers. I am joined by the distinguished senior Senator from Minnesota, Senator Klobuchar, with whom I serve on the Judiciary Committee and who is herself a former prosecutor. The same bill has been introduced in the House by Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Technology can do so much for us today, but it also has a dark side. Students and Senators can use it, but so can predators and pornographers. Sadly, in some ways children are more at risk than ever and we must do whatever we can to protect them. This means equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to combat the sexual exploitation of children wherever it occurs. This bill does several things. First, it makes it a crime to financially facilitate access to child pornography. Second, this bill requires companies such as Internet service providers to retain information such as subscriber network addresses for at least 18 months. Third, it expands existing authority to issue administrative subpoenas while investigating federal offenses involving the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Fourth, it provides for protecting from intimidation or harassment child witnesses and victims in criminal investigations and prosecutions.…





