Senate Passes Package of Sex Crime Bills

The New York State Senate passed a series of bills, with the support of Senator Jack M. Martins, increasing penalties for people convicted of sex crimes against children.

The Senate passed legislation (S.1541A) that would increase criminal penalties for sexual contact between a child and a person in a position of trust, which includes any adult responsible for supervision of children when they are not with their parents. Currently, there are no additional penalties for sexual contact with a minor by persons in a position of trust.

The Senate also passed a bill (S.746B) that creates a new crime of promoting and possessing a sex offense with a child. This bill cracks down on pedophiles who use the Internet to prey on children. it directly addresses the solicitation and/or participation in such acts via a computer network.

A third bill (S.1991) establishes the crime of promotion of child prostitution by a parent or guardian Currently, there is no law that specifically addresses the prostitution of a child by a parent. This legislation adequately addresses this crime and ensures that parents convicted of such crimes are unable to have access to the children they exploited.

“The safety of our children is paramount and we should do anything we can do to protect them from sex offenders. These bills strengthen the penalties for those who establish trust with children in order to prey on them. If one child is abused, that’s one too many,” Senator Martins said.

The bills have been sent to the Assembly.