Washington, D.C.--With the increasing dangers to children's safety at home and school via the Internet, Sixth District U.S. Congressman was determined to see a bill to help combat this problem pass on the floor of the U.S. House today. H.R. 3494, the AChild Protection and Sexual Predator Punishment Act of 1998, passed the House by a vote of 416 to 0, including Lucas' yes vote for the bill.

"I have three kids ages 15 and younger to whom my wife Lynda and I have ingrained the instructions 'don't talk to strangers' and 'don't accept rides or candy from strangers'," Lucas said. "It is becoming apparent, unfortunately, that we parents must start warning our kids about strangers on the Internet.

"Technology can be a wonderful thing. It is predicted that by the year 2002, 20 million children will have access to the Internet," Lucas continued. "They will be able to get on their computers and walk on the moon with Neil Armstrong or witness footage of the Berlin Wall coming down.

"Most schools and libraries are or soon will be equipped to access the Internet," Lucas said. "Unfortunately, criminals will have access to our schools, libraries and homes.

Congress passed the "Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Act" and "Megan's Law" telling sex offenders, 'you can run, but you can't hide. This bill establishes strict penalties for participation in or attempts at luring kids onto the Internet for the purposes of engaging in illegal sexual activity and also for transferring obscene materials to a minor or of a minor over the Internet.

H.R. 3494 also goes beyond punishments for Internet sex crimes. Over a dozen provisions increase federal penalties for sex offenders and help facilitate federal investigations of all crimes against children. Some provisions include mandated life sentences for serial rapists, doubled prison sentences for abusive sexual contact with a victim under the age of 12, and provisions to insure that a federal child sex offender is not released prior to their trial.

"The possibility of our children coming into contact with this type of inappropriate behavior on the Internet is more of a reality than many may want to acknowledge," Lucas said.

"It is infuriating that it takes federal laws to insure the safety of our children on the Internet due solely to the inappropriate acts some degenerates in our society are capable of," Lucas concluded. "But if that is what it is going to take for your kids and my kids to be safe, you can bank on the fact that I will personally hand this bill to the President to sign if needed."