To direct the Attorney General to provide grants for Internet crime prevention education programs.

I want to thank Chairman Conyers for his support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4134, the Internet Crime Prevention Education Program Act. This bill will authorize funding for the i-SAFE program for 5 years and create a new grant competition to provide funds for like-minded Internet safety and crime prevention programs. This new grant program will support and enhance the efforts of schools, law enforcement agencies and parents to give children the skills they need to avoid potential criminal activity on the Internet. By bringing this bill to the floor today, the leadership of the House on both sides of the aisle has demonstrated that it recognizes that our children are in danger from cyberbullying, identity theft, cyberstalking and harassment and other potential cybercrimes.

These are very real threats and they demand real action, and I am proud that we are united in this effort. Although adults, even those with children, don't always realize it, children face a myriad of online dangers whenever they use chat rooms, instant messages and e- mail. They could come across predators, financial scams, or inappropriate content when they go online to do things as innocent as research for school assignments.

The Internet is a powerful tool for progress that is transforming the way our society obtains and shares information. But unfortunately the Internet also carries risks when misused as an avenue for predators, bullies and thieves. Last year, one in five children received a sexual solicitation or were inappropriately approached via the Internet. Unfortunately, numerous

children have already become victims of unspeakable physical harm or have suffered irreparable mental injuries from online predators.

Sexual predators are not the only danger facing youth online. As bizarre as it may seem to those of us old enough that we didn't have these technologies when we were in school, bullies are using their cell phones and the Internet to torment their peers. This literally means that kids can be bullied any hour of the day or night and even within their own homes. And because it is not face to face, cyberbullying can be much crueler and present a whole new set of dangers.

Cyberbullying can have serious consequences and inflict lasting wounds on young people. Studies have found that bullying can negatively impact the academic performance, self-esteem, and mental and physical health of children. Whenever I discuss bullying, I inevitably hear one person ask, ``What is wrong with a little bullying? It makes you stronger. It builds character.'' Builds character? Really? It is important to realize that students who are bullied are more likely to be depressed and commit suicide.

So many of the horrifying school shootings in recent years have been linked to bullying that it can no longer be viewed as a rite of passage. Bullying and harassment must be treated as the violent and damaging behaviors that they are.

This bill, the Internet Crime Prevention Education Program Act, is just one part of a package of bills that I have introduced to keep our kids safe by tackling bullying and harassment.

i-SAFE is the perfect example of an organization that shares this goal. i-SAFE, Incorporated is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experience of youth by incorporating classroom curriculum with community outreach to make the Internet a safer place.

The i-SAFE program is free for schools, school districts, law enforcement, communities, and parents in large part because of the congressional funding it has received on a bipartisan basis since 2002. i-SAFE has provided over 3 million children in 50 States with the tools to protect themselves on the Internet.

After participating in the i-SAFE program, 91 percent of students say that they will make better choices about where they go on the Internet, 87 percent say they will be more careful about sharing personal information in chat rooms, and 75 percent say they are less likely to meet someone from the Internet in person.

Law enforcement, which deserves praise for pursuing cybercriminals needs the help of programs like i-SAFE, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Crime Prevention Council, Web Wise Kids, Netsmartz, and Teen Angels, to help reduce online crimes through prevention.

When used the right way, the Internet can be a valuable educational resource and allow for extended social networks. It is our responsibility to ensure that children are able to enjoy all of the benefits of the Internet armed with the knowledge of how to stay safe. I therefore urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4134.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Ms. Linda Sanchez's legislation, which would make grants available for Internet safety education programs.

Advances in technology have resulted in new conveniences, greater access to information, and the ability to correspond easily and quickly with individuals around the world. However, the recent explosion of social networking sites and internet chat-rooms has also created opportunities for predators to target children easily and anonymously.

Eighty-seven percent of teens use the internet on a regular basis, and according to the Justice Department, one in five children between the ages of ten and seventeen has received a sexual solicitation or has been approached online in the last year. The internet provides students with a world of information and has become a necessity in many of our everyday lives, yet it unfortunately can expose our kids to a world of potential dangers without adequate protections.

For example, early this year a teenage girl in Florida was found one day after she snuck out of her house to meet who she thought was a 24- year-old man she met on MySpace, but turned out to be a 46-year-old high-risk sex offender. Several social networking sites have implemented some security measures, but sex offenders have found ways to get around them. That is why I applaud efforts such as those by Attorney General Cuomo to ensure that social networking sites meet the safety standards they advertise.

It is imperative that we do everything we can to make the internet as safe as possible for our children. At the local level, many of our law enforcement agencies and schools are doing wonderful work using internet safety curriculum to educate students on how to avoid dangerous, inappropriate, or unlawful online behavior.

As a mother and grandmother, I am fighting at the federal level to reduce the risk that our children face online from child predators. That is why I am so pleased that today the House is considering five different pieces of legislation, several of which I have cosponsored, that promote internet safety and crack down on child pornography.

Ms. Sanchez's bill would create a grant program for organizations that promote internet safety. These grants will help crime safety groups such as the National Crime Prevention Council develop programs to better educate children, parents, teachers, libraries, and others on the dangers of potential online criminal activity and cyberbullying.

The SAFER Net Act, sponsored by Ms. Bean, authorizes $5 million for a national public awareness campaign to promote internet safety. Several internet safety programs exist, but the federal government must do a better job ensuring that parents and schools are able to utilize those programs.

Mr. Pomeroy's KIDS Act would close a dangerous loophole by requiring sexual offenders to include e-mail addresses and instant messaging screen names when complying with registration and notification laws. Notification laws have enabled parents to know when a sexual predator has moved into their neighborhood, but not their inbox.

As a member of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children Caucus, I know that the passage of this series of bills is a significant step in our efforts to protect children as they use the internet.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4134, the Internet Crime Prevention Education Program Act.

In recent years, the Internet has grown to be a thriving educational resource. Adults and children alike have become dependent upon the Internet to provide an abundance of information at their fingertips. However, this wonderful educational resource may also expose young people to new dangers, such as the 750,000 online predators children may encounter every time they surf the web. In fact, one in five children received an online sexual solicitation last year alone.

The prevalence of online predators is a frightening reality and it is clear to me that something must be done. For this reason, it is essential that we provide our schools and law enforcement agents with the necessary tools to teach children how to protect themselves from these Internet dangers.

The bill before us today provides grants for Internet crime prevention education and takes us one step closer to making the Internet a safer place for kids. It is important that we support programs like i-SAFE, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting youth online through developing the resources to teach internet safety. The competitive grant program created by H.R. 4134 will provide funds to organizations dedicated to Internet crime prevention education. Through education and awareness, we can ensure a more hospitable web environment, so that children may be free to utilize the benefits of the Internet without being exposed to its dangers.

Mr. Speaker, I intend to support the legislation before us and I call on this body to vote in favor of Internet crime prevention.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4134) to direct the Attorney General to provide grants for Internet crime prevention education programs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Members of the House, there are many ways to address criminal behavior on the Internet as reflected by the measures that we have already passed this afternoon. Without question, it is critical that Internet sex offenders be identified, arrested, prosecuted and punished as the law provides.

Nevertheless, Internet safety must begin with prevention, especially with our children. They must be taught how to use the Internet safely and how to avoid Internet behavior that puts them at risk. So H.R. 4134 authorizes that the Department of Justice administer grants for the purpose of teaching our children Internet safety.

This is an excellent measure that deserves our support. I commend the chairman of our fifth committee in Judiciary, Linda Sanchez of California, for her leadership on this very critical issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now to recognize the chairman of our subcommittee and the author of this measure, Linda Sanchez of California, for as much time as she may consume.

I have no further speakers, and I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4134 which directs the Attorney General to provide grants to I-Safe, Incorporated for Internet safety education programs.

I-Safe provides a number of Internet safety programs with Federal Government agencies, including the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

Crime prevention is an important component in promoting safe communities. Internet safety programs help to raise the awareness of Internet users, children and parents, to the dangers on the Internet. H.R. 4134 authorizes $5 million to I-Safe, Incorporated to promote Internet safety. I-Safe is a worthy program, and I support the legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers remaining, so I will yield back the balance of my time.