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House unanimously approves grants to fund Internet‑crimes task forces to protect children
Summary
The House passed a bill creating a state grant program to expand Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, with the sponsor recounting a survivor's story to underscore investigative gaps; final passage was unanimous, 201–0.
The Pennsylvania House on May 6 passed House Bill 1098, creating a state grant program to fund local Internet Crimes Against Children task forces and increase investigative capacity across the Commonwealth.
Representative Ortee Thai, the bill’s sponsor, recounted the experience of a survivor he identified as Alicia, who was abducted at 13 and exploited online. He described how a single FBI tip led agents to rescue her and argued the state needs more sustained resources: “Right now, Pennsylvania has 1 federally funded task force for Internet crimes against children. That's 1 for 13,000,000 people,” he said, pressing colleagues to back the grant program.
Co-sponsors and supporters said the bill will expand training, investigations, and prosecution capacity for digital child‑exploitation cases, which often require specialized investigators and technical resources. Representative Benham and others described the bill as bipartisan and practical; Representative Benham thanked colleagues for partnership on the measure.
The House recorded a final passage vote of yeas 201, nays 0. The bill passed the House finally and the clerk returned it to the Senate for concurrence.
