HR 1966 Cyberbullying Prevention Act
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Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (Introduced in House)
HR 1966 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1966
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to cyberbullying.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 2, 2009
Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California (for herself, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. YARMUTH, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HARE, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. CLAY, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. COURTNEY, and Mr. KIRK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to cyberbullying.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the `Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act'.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Four out of five of United States children aged 2 to 17 live in a home where either they or their parents access the Internet.
(2) Youth who create Internet content and use social networking sites are more likely to be targets of cyberbullying.
(3) Electronic communications provide anonymity to the perpetrator and the potential for widespread public distribution, potentially making them severely dangerous and cruel to youth.
(4) Online victimizations are associated with emotional distress and other psychological problems, including depression.
(5) Cyberbullying can cause psychological harm, including depression; negatively impact academic performance, safety, and the well-being of children in school; force children to change schools; and in some cases lead to extreme violent behavior, including murder and suicide.
(6) Sixty percent of mental health professionals who responded to the Survey of Internet Mental Health Issues report having treated at least one patient with a problematic Internet experience in the previous five years; 54 percent of these clients were 18 years of age or younger.
(a) In General- Chapter 41 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`Sec. 881. Cyberbullying
`(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
`(b) As used in this section--
`(1) the term `communication' means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received; and
`(2) the term `electronic means' means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.'.
(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 41 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
`881. Cyberbullying.'.
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H.R.1966
Title: To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to cyberbullying.
Sponsor: Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] (introduced 4/2/2009) Cosponsors (17)
Latest Major Action: 4/2/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY AS OF:
4/2/2009--Introduced.
Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act - Amends the federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties on anyone who transmits in interstate or foreign commerce a communication intended to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to another person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior.
MAJOR ACTIONS:
***NONE***
ALL ACTIONS:
4/2/2009:
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)
***NONE***
COSPONSORS(17), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] - 4/2/2009
Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1] - 4/2/2009
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 4/2/2009
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 4/2/2009
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] - 4/2/2009
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 4/2/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 4/2/2009
Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 4/2/2009
Rep Higgins, Brian [NY-27] - 4/2/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 4/2/2009
Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] - 4/2/2009
Rep Luetkemeyer, Blaine [MO-9] - 4/28/2009
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 4/2/2009
Rep Sarbanes, John P. [MD-3] - 4/2/2009
Rep Space, Zachary T. [OH-18] - 4/28/2009
Rep Titus, Dina [NV-3] - 4/28/2009
Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3] - 4/2/2009
COMMITTEE(S):
RELATED BILL DETAILS:
***NONE***
AMENDMENT(S):
***NONE***
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Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (Introduced in House)
HR 1966 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1966
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to cyberbullying.
Honorable Gentile Ladies and Gentile Men:
What are we thinking about here. You are talking about taking more of our, nay your own freedom of expression, our first amendment right as Americans away never to be reclaimed. You will be placing the responsibility of the parents in the hands of the prosecutor. It is the parents responsibility to police what their young children’s minds encounter in this world. It is not the responsibility of the prosecutor to cleanse the populous of what may be seen as negative by some or all. There are far worse examples of detrimental behavior in our society that are left unchecked and even condoned at times by some. What will be changed by this amendment? Children receive far worse condemnation, ridicule and harassment that cause both mental and physical scares. Lets deal with that first. Lets give the job of parenting back to the parents. Let the parents police their own children first.
I know that yours is a hard and often time thankless job. On this issue please step back a moment to review all the aspects of this issue.
Best regards,
Nick...
American