‘Alicia’s Law’: Internet safety bill named for Pittsburgh-area girl advances in Pennsylvania Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. — An internet safety bill named after a Pittsburgh-area resident is moving forward in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

House Bill 1098 received second consideration in the Senate Tuesday and was re-referred to the Appropriations Committee. The House voted unanimously to pass the bill May 6.

Referred to as “Alicia’s Law,” the legislation is named after Alicia Kozak, who, at 13 years old, was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and tortured by a man she met online, according to a May 6 release from the Pennsylvania House GOP.

The incident is said to be the nation’s first documented case of internet-based child abduction.

“Alicia’s story is not a relic of the early internet,” prime sponsor Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-District 46) stated in the release. “It’s a preview of what happens when kids have unlimited access to strangers online, and we don’t give law enforcement the tools to keep up. With social media now in the hands of children as young as nine or 10, these crimes are not slowing down. They are accelerating. This law puts Pennsylvania on offense.”

“Alicia’s Law” would amend the “Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Law,” creating a funding program to support prosecution and investigation of internet crimes against children.

Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-District 37) proposed the Senate version of the bill.

“Alicia’s Law, which I’ve partnered with PA State Rep. Jason Ortitay to introduce, would improve Pennsylvania’s ability to investigate and prosecute internet crimes like this against children,” Robinson said in a social media post Wednesday.

Click here to read the current text of House Bill 1098.

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