Battin’s Legislation to Add Felony Child Pornographers to Online Megan’s Law Database Passes Key Senate Committee

Today, Senator Jim Battin’s (R- La Quinta) SB 1187 which would require felony child pornographers to be listed on the online Megan’s Law database passed the Senate Public Safety Committee with bi-partisan support and a 4-0 vote. Currently, sexual predators convicted of felony child pornography are not included on the important internet database which allows families to better protect their children from potential neighborhood threats.

“Child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors for pleasure or financial gain is cruel and has long lasting psychological effects on the victim. Adding these felons to an online database is the least we can do to send a message that child pornography will not be tolerated in California. I am very pleased with today’s outcome and I look forward to seeing this bill though to passage,” Battin stated.

“It is important that California stands firm and hold a zero tolerance to child pornography abuse,” said Battin. “My bill does exactly that, as well as further notifying the community of dangerous individuals living around them.”

Distribution of child pornography and adult obscenity has expanded exponentially with advances in computer technology and increased availability and popular use of the Internet. It is no longer enough to depend on our law enforcement officers alone to combat this growing network of predators. Our community needs to play a greater role in awareness and intolerance of sex crimes.

This legislation is not the first by Battin to address the serious problem of sexual exploitation of minors. Due to the important nature of this bill, this is the fourth year Battin has introduced legislation to add child pornography offenses to Megan’s Law. The prior version, SB 194, passed the Senate Public Safety unanimously, but was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Battin also authored SB 33 the “Circle of Trust” bill, to increase penalties on parents who rape their own children and reform California’s 23-year old policy of decriminalizing sexual abuse within the family. SB 33 became law in 2006.

The bill will next be heard in May in the Senate Appropriations Committee.