The Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act of 2009
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation on February 13 designed to combat child pornography. The bill, Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act of 2009 (H.R. 1076 in the House and S. 436 in the Senate), would require internet service providers to store information about users for at least two years, and would increase penalties, including raising existing mandatory minimums related to the creation, sale and acquisition of child pornography.
The bills would increase the mandatory minimums in 18 U.S.C. § 2251(e); 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b); and 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b) which include the following offenses:
Any person who conspires to or participates in or supports the transportation of a minor with the intent that the minor engage in conduct for the purpose of producing sexually explicit images or any person who conspires to or participates in the reproduction, sale, solicitation or transportation of such images; or
Any person who conspires to, financially facilitates or transports, ships, knowingly receives, or distributes, sells or possess with the intent to sell a visual depiction if producing such depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and the visual depiction is of such conduct.
The bill has been referred to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees for consideration. FAMM does not support this legislation.