BILL NUMBER: ACR 66 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 1, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Waldron (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Allen, Brown, Chávez, Beth Gaines, Grove, Medina, Melendez, Olsen, Quirk-Silva, Salas, Wagner,and WilkWilk, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Donnelly, Fong, Fox, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hagman, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Lowenthal, Mansoor, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Patterson, Perea, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Rendon, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Weber, Williams, and Yamada ) JUNE 13, 2013 Relative to Internet crimes. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 66, as amended, Waldron. Internet Crimes Against Children Awareness Month. This measure would designate October 2013 as Internet Crimes Against Children Awareness Month and state that the Legislature supports increased funding for the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, online communications systems, or computer technology to help detect the sexual exploitation of children, updating reporting laws, and strengthening disclosure laws. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, Computers and the Internet have become prevalent in California homes, schools, and libraries; and WHEREAS, In 2010, 85 percent of children 3 to 17 years of age had access to a computer at home, and almost 57 percent used the Internet at home; and WHEREAS, Children and adolescents commonly use computers for playing games, completing school assignments, word processing, e-mail, and connecting to the Internet; and WHEREAS, Education is the single most common motivation parents cite for their children to use the Internet from home; and WHEREAS, While the Internet has helped to make education, entertainment, and socialization more accessible for youth, it has also made child victimization easier for predators; and WHEREAS, Physical contact between the child and the perpetrator does not need to occur for a child to become a victim or for a crime to be committed; and WHEREAS, Many victims of Internet crimes do not disclose their victimization or even realize that they have been victims of a crime; and WHEREAS, Predators contact children over the Internet and victimize them by enticing them through online contact for the purpose of engaging them in sexual acts, using the Internet for the production, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography, using the Internet to expose youth to child pornography and encourage them to exchange pornography, and enticing and exploiting children for the purpose of sexual tourism (travel with the intent to engage in sexual behavior) for commercial gain or personal gratification; and WHEREAS, Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. About 25 percent of children have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material online; and WHEREAS, One in seven children have received a sexual solicitation online; and WHEREAS, In the 2009 fiscal year, task forces participating in the federal Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program reported nearly 28,000 complaints, including child pornography, enticement or obscenity directed to minors, and child prostitution. These complaints resulted in more than 13,000 investigations; and WHEREAS, Parents, school officials, law enforcement officers, and other adults can prevent Internet crimes against children by taking various measures, including keeping computers in open areas, monitoring the amount of time a child spends online, and educating children about the dangers of Internet crimes; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates October 2013 as Internet Crimes Against Children Awareness Month to educate parents, children, and the general public about the critical issue of Internet crimes against children statewide in order to protect children against unspeakable crimes; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature supports increased funding for ICAC task forces, online communications systems, or computer technology to help detect the sexual exploitation of children, updating reporting laws, and strengthening disclosure laws; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.