MADISON (WKOW) – State lawmakers and authorities are joining a national push to fight crimes against children online.
Committees in the State Assembly and State Senate discussed Alicia's Law at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
The bill is named after Alicia Kozakiewicz, a woman who was abused by a pedophile after being lured by an internet predator when she was 13. Officials say it would give authorities a source of money from the state to find and arrest pedophiles.
“We owe it to our children to do all we can to prevent predators from getting their hands on children, and to end the suffering of those who are already being abused,” said Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.
“The child that I was is still chained in that room, and is still suffering,” said Alicia Kozakiewicz. “But I am here and I am alive today because child rescue teams like the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force existed.”
Right now, a version of Alicia's Law is in place in seven states.
The bills being proposed in Wisconsin would need to pass the Senate and Assembly committees before going up for a full vote.