releases: https://stephaniemurphy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1546
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://stephaniemurphy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1546 | House Passes Bipartisan Murphy Bill to Strengthen Criminal Penalties for Adults Who Stalk Children | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | House | FL | Stephanie Murphy | M001202 | stephaniemurphy.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTONToday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., alongside Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Senators Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., which will strengthen criminal penalties for adults who stalk or severely harass children, either online or in the community. The bill, theCombat Online Predators Act, was passed by the Senate in October and now heads to the President's desk for his signature. As the mother of two young children, I know we have no more important responsibility than protecting our kids from adults who seek to harm them,"said Murphy.I'm proud our bipartisan bill will soon become law. It will help deter adults from stalking children and ensure those who do commit this terrible crime receive the punishment they deserve. TheCombat Online PredatorsActwas inspired by the story of the Zezzo family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania whose teenage daughter was cyber-stalked by a friend's father on social media. Despite the stalking being sexual in nature, the then-51-year-old stalker pleaded guilty only to a misdemeanor stalking charge and was sentenced to probation and counseling. Three years later, in 2016, the same stalker began making contact again. This time, he was arrested in a sting by local police and sentenced to between 18 months and seven years in a state prison. Under current law, it is a federal crime for an individual to harass or intimidate another individual, in person or online, in a way that places them in fear of physical harm or causes them significant emotional distress. The maximum criminal penalty is 5 years in prison, and 10 years in prison if the defendant causes serious physical injury to the victim or uses a dangerous weapon. The Murphy-led bill would increase the maximum penalty by 5 years, to 10 years and 15 years respectively, when the defendant is an adult and the victim is under 18 years of age. We have no higher responsibility than to protect our children. Cyber-stalking is a serious crime that needs to be met with stricter penalties and more cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Sitting with the Zezzo family, I saw the pain in their eyes. After hearing of the disturbing story of cyberstalking endured by this young girl and her family for years, I knew something needed to be done,said Fitzpatrick. TheCombat Online Predators Actis the first step in making the internet a safer environment for all users, especially the most vulnerable among us. I am incredibly proud to see our legislation pass both chambers and head to the President's desk to become law. House passage of theCombat Online Predators Actspeaks to the remarkable dedicationof the entire Zezzo family for keeping children safe and ensuring there are strong penalties for monsters who stalk and cyberstalk children,said Toomey. Madison and her parents, Erin and Tony, deserve our gratitude for helping get this legislation through Congress, and I look forward to the president signing it into law. Today is an important day in our Nation's endless fight to better protect our children and curtail predatory behavior. I am pleased that the House passed theCombat Online Predators Acttoday and I am grateful to the Zezzo family for their tireless advocacy of this important legislation,"said Casey. "This bipartisan bill will give judges additional tools to ensure that perpetrators who stalk or cyberstalk children are held accountable with serious penalties. I urge the President to sign Combat Online Predators swiftly into law so that we can continue the fight to keep our children safe from predatory behavior. Our family is so glad theCombat Online Predators Acthas made it through Congress,said Erin and Tony Zezzo. As families have navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, children are spending more time online and in front of a webcam. Individuals who stalk and cyberstalk our children are taking advantage of these new tools and opportunities to exploit children. This legislation has never been more critical than it is today. Our hope is that this legislation is the first of more changes to our cyberstalking laws that will help prevent such heinous crimes.We appreciate the bipartisan work of Senators Toomey and Casey and Representatives Fitzpatrick and Murphy. Broadcast quality video of Murphy discussing her bipartisanCombat Online Predators Actcan be foundhere.The text of her remarks is below. Hi, this is Congresswoman Murphy.I wanted to share some good news with you. Today, the House passed the Combat Online Predators Act, a bipartisan bill I helped write. The Senate already passed the bill so it will now head to the President to be signed into law. We introduced this bill after hearing the story of a brave 13-year-old girl in Pennsylvania who was stalked online by a 50-year-old man. The man originally received only a slap on the wrist from our criminal justice systemand he soon began harassing the young girl again. This sort of behavior happens far too often. Unfortunately, in the age of social media, predators have more tools to harass innocent people, especially children. Here's what our bill does: It gives federal judges the power to impose longer prison sentences on adults who are found guilty of severely stalking children, whether they commit this crime through a computer or in our communities. This will help deter adults from stalking children in the first place and make sure that adults who do commit this crime receive a fair and appropriate sentence. As a mother of two young children, I know we have no more important responsibility than protecting our kids from adults who seek to harm them. That's why I'm so proud of this bill and so thankful that it will soon be become law. My team and I will let you know when the President signs this bill into law. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |