[r76] Rep. McNamara calls for a child protection registry to be established (2/14/2011)

STATEHOUSE - Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Mt. Vernon) authored House Bill 1418, which establishes a child protection registry.  This bill requires the consumer protection division of the attorney general's office to establish a child protection registry, which will create a list of contact points for minors.

"This bill gives parents the ability to protect their children and will enable the state of Indiana to ensure Hoosier children are safeguarded against receiving inappropriate content," said Rep. McNamara. 

House Bill 1418 received bipartisan support and passed on its third reading by a unanimous vote at Thursday's session. The bill will now move to the Senate to receive discussion.

Currently, Michigan and Utah are the only two states who have established child protection registries.   Both states' child protection registries are self sustaining programs. Indiana's child protection registry will closely resemble these two states' programs.  

The main provisions of this bill are:
. Requires the consumer protection division of the attorney general's office to establish the child protection registry and permits a person to register "contact points" that belong to a minor with the registry.

. Defines a contact point to be an email address, an instant message identity, a telephone number or a similar point of contact.

. Allows a school or other institution that primarily serves minors to register its domain name with the registry and provides that a person may not send a communication to a contact point that has been registered for more than thirty days if the purpose is to promote a product that a minor is prohibited from purchasing or contains material that is harmful to minors as described in Indiana Law.  

"House Bill 1418 takes significant steps forward in protecting Indiana's youth and I look forward to seeing those protections extended," said Rep. McNamara.