Fran Pavley
The Assembly Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Friday to approve Senate Bill 145 by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), which would raise the maximum penalty for the most serious child pornography offenses. The committee vote paves the way for a vote on the Assembly Floor.
California currently has the weakest child pornography sentencing laws in the nation. SB 145 would raise the maximum penalty for the worst offenders: those with huge collections of child pornography, those with images of children forced to endure sexual sadism or masochism, and those who use images to groom children to participate in this crime. The bill is sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten and strongly supported by the California District Attorneys Association.
“We need to halt the cycle of child abuse at its roots,” Pavley said. “As long as there is a demand to see sexually abused children, and possessors of this material fail to receive serious consequences, possessors will continue to fuel the production and distribution of images and the vicious cycle of child abuse will continue.”
Testifying at the hearing was Erin Runnion, who founded the Joyful Child Foundation after her daughter, Samantha was sexually assaulted and murdered in 2002. Runnion was also representing the National Association to PROTECT Children and the Surviving Parents Coalition.
“Child pornographers perpetuate the victimization of children,” Runnion said. “The man who killed my daughter had a collection. Our greatest responsibility is to protect our children.”
Assembly Panel OK's Pavley Bill on Kiddie Porn
