Fitzpatrick Cyber-Stalking Bill Passes House

Legislation authored by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) to increase penalties related to the stalking of minors passed the House Tuesday. The Combat Online Predators Act [H.R. 4203] provides enhanced criminal penalties for stalkers under Title 18 Section 2261 by up to five years if the victim is a minor. Furthermore, the legislation calls for the Attorney General and Department of Justice to produce an evaluation of Federal, State, and local efforts to enforce laws relating to stalking and identify and describe elements of these enforcement efforts that constitute best practices.

"We have no higher responsibility than to protect our kids. We must do everything we can to forcefully respond to egregious instances of stalking and cyberstalking, especially when committed against minors -- the most vulnerable among us," said Fitzpatrick, the only former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and federal prosecutor in Congress. "The Combat Online Predators Act ensures that, not only are we increasing penalties for these crimes, but we are also requiring federal law enforcement officials to constantly evaluate and update practices to combat this online harassment. There is still work to be done at the state level, but today's passage shows we are serious about making these needed changes at the federal level."

The legislation was inspired by the story of the Zezzo family of Bucks County, PA whose teenaged 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.

"This bill is a first and very important step in creating positive change to better protect children against cyberpredators. The technology world has far surpassed our legislation regarding cyberstalking, and the Combat Online Predators Act serves as an immeasurable stepping stone in filling these gaps," said Erin and Madison Zezzo, mother and daughter impacted by cyber-stalking. "With this Act and the call on our Attorney General and Department of Justice, our family and friends also challenge our state representatives to dive deeply into these laws, identify these holes and plug them before children are put to greater risk. We know at a State level where these laws failed our family and will be willing to speak about these specifics if it helps just one child from being harmed. We hope bringing attention to this critical matter will open conversation between parents and their children about internet safety."

The legislation now awaits action in the Senate before it can be signed into law. It is Fitzpatrick's twelfth bill that passed the House.

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