HARRISBURG – Legislation to improve Pennsylvania’s ability to investigate and prosecute internet crimes against children has been unanimously approved by the General Assembly, according to the bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-37). The bill authorizes up to $5 million to be used annually for grants to support the program.
House Bill 1098, sponsored by Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-46), would provide critical resources to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors working to protect children from online exploitation and abuse by expanding the Investigation and Prosecution of Internet Crimes Against Children Program within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
“As more and more children have access to the internet at a young age, the predators we once worried about on our streets are now sitting behind computers and smartphones interacting with innocent children,” said Robinson, the sponsor of Senate Bill 1335, the Senate companion legislation to House Bill 1098. “By providing the funding and tools needed to better investigate and prosecute these horrendous crimes, our children will be safer and better protected.”
The bill is designated as “Alicia’s Law” in honor of Alicia Kozak (Kozakiewicz), a Pittsburgh-area resident who was abducted, sexually assaulted, and tortured at age 13 by a man she met online in what is recognized as the nation’s first known internet-facilitated child abduction cases. Kozak has since dedicated herself to educating families and students about online safety, and advocating for stronger protection for children. Naming the legislation in her honor recognizes her ongoing efforts to prevent other children from becoming victims of online predators and underscores the bill’s mission of strengthening Pennsylvania’s response to internet crimes against children.
“Twenty-four years ago, when I was 13, a man drove to Pittsburgh and kidnapped me from my home,” said Kozak. “He held me captive and livestreamed the abuse. I was rescued because a viewer recognized me from my missing-person poster and called law enforcement. My rescue felt like a miracle, but no child’s safety should depend on a miracle. That’s where Alicia’s Law comes in. Predators are in every community, and they are targeting our children. Pennsylvania’s Internet Crimes Against Children task forces need the investigators, training, and resources to uncover these crimes, stop offenders, and protect children.”
“Alicia’s story is not a relic of the early internet,” Ortitay said. “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.”
Under the bill, PCCD would be authorized to award grants to support specialized task forces focused on investigating and prosecuting internet-based crimes against minors. Eligible uses of grant funding would include support for investigators, prosecutors, forensic specialists, and education for professionals working on cases involving human trafficking, sexual offenses, child sexual abuse, unlawful contact with minors, and the sexual exploitation of children conducted through online platforms.
The legislation would allow state funding to supplement existing federal Internet Crimes Against Children grants, helping local and state task forces expand their capabilities and respond more effectively to the growing volume of online child exploitation cases. It would enable specialized training to ensure task force personnel are equipped with the latest best practices and investigative techniques in our ever-changing technological environment for combating internet-facilitated crimes against children.
The legislation requires PCCD to establish application guidelines and grant evaluation criteria while ensuring equitable geographic distribution of funding throughout the commonwealth.
If signed into law, Pennsylvania would join 13 other states in enacting Alicia’s Law. House Bill 1098 now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.