David J. Valesky > Keeping Our Kids Safe

Thursday, November 20, 2008

New York State Senator
David J. Valesky	49th Senate District

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Keeping Our Kids Safe

As the father of three boys who have become more technically savvy than their dad, I continually worry that they may stumble upon a website that may not be appropriate, or, even worse, chat online with people looking to harm them. These concerns are felt by every parent and touch families throughout Central New York and the State.

That is why I was pleased to support a new law that will make it a lot tougher for sexual predators to interact online with our children.

The Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act, or e-STOP, was signed into law by Gov. David Paterson on May 14. It requires all convicted sex offenders to register their Internet screen names with the Sex Offender Registry; allows social networking sites to obtain those screen names and block those account holders from contacting children; and mandates that convicted sex offenders who are serving probation, conditional discharge or parole be prohibited from using the Internet to contact children.

The e-STOP act will not only give parents piece of mind, but it will give our law enforcement agencies another tool in protecting our children.

In addition, the Senate this week passed a series of bills that will enhance the security of our children when they are away from the computer. This package of bills was sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith and passed the Senate unanimously, and now await approval by the Assembly.

The first, S.1862, would strengthen existing laws against using children in a sexual performance involving alcohol and drugs. The second bill, S.4390, would allow for the use of hearsay evidence from sexually abused minors. This would make out-of-court testimony from a child less than 12 years of age admissible during a sex abuse trial. Each measure, in its own right, will combat exploiting or harming our children.

With new tools for law enforcement and increased penalties for these crimes, these new Internet-related laws and other bills dealing with child sex abuse, take the next step in protecting families. That, combined with continued vigilance from parents, can help protect our kids from the predators who want to bring them harm.

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