Combat Online Predators Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as my friend, David Cicilline, just alluded to, we have no higher responsibility than to protect our children.

Cyberstalking is a serious crime that needs to be met with stricter penalties and more cooperation amongst law enforcement agencies, including my friends and colleagues in my former agency, the FBI.

The Office of Women's Health defines stalking as repeated contact that makes one feel afraid or harassed. Each year, this crime affects an estimated 7.5 million people, including many children.

Stalking disproportionately impacts women. Stalking victims are 50 percent more likely to be female, and according to the CDC, one in six women has experienced some form of stalking in their lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, my Combat Online Predators Act ensures that not only are we increasing penalties for these crimes, but we are also requiring Federal law enforcement officials to evaluate and update practices to combat this online harassment.

This bill provides enhanced criminal penalties for stalkers under title 18, section 2261, by up to 5 years if the victim is a minor.

Moreover, the legislation calls for the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to produce an evaluation of Federal, State, and local efforts to enforce laws relating to stalking and to identify and describe elements of these enforcement efforts that constitute best practices across the United States.

Moreover, Mr. Speaker, this legislation was inspired by the story of a family in my district in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the Zezzo family, whose teenage daughter, at the age of just 13 years old, was cyberstalked by a friend's father through social media.

Despite the stalking being sexual in nature, the then 51-year-old stalker pleaded guilty only to a misdemeanor stalking charge and was sentenced to probation and counseling.

Three years later, in 2016, this very same stalker began making contact again. Hiding behind social media, the predator created a perverted library of over 15,000 posts detailing his warped vision to marry her and his insistence that no one could ever stop him from being with her.

Thankfully, Mr. Speaker, following a sting operation by our hero law enforcement officers, local police arrested him and sentenced him to between 18 months and 7 years in State prison.

Sitting with the Zezzo family, I saw the pain in their eyes. After hearing the disturbing story of cyberstalking endured by this young girl and her family for years, the pain that they have endured for years and still endure to this day, I knew that something had to be done.

My Combat Online Predators Act is the first step in making the internet a safer environment for all users, especially young Americans, and this step cannot come soon enough.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Cicilline and members of the committee. I thank the Zezzo family, particularly Madison and Erin Zezzo, for their advocacy in this incredibly important issue. They have turned their unspeakable pain into action and provided a voice for all cyberstalking victims across this country, especially our young victims and our children.

We will continue to fight for justice for all victims.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank Representative Stephanie Murphy, my partner in this legislation, and Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Bob Casey from my home State of Pennsylvania, all of whom had a part to play in this.

Mr. Speaker, we must do everything we can to forcefully respond to egregious instances of stalking and cyberstalking, especially when committed against the most vulnerable among us.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Combat Online Predators Act.

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