CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch, joined by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, the Attorney General and law enforcement officials from across the state, today unveiled the Online Child Safety Act, legislation aimed at providing greater safety for children using the Internet.

The Online Child Safety Act will modernize the state’s child enticement laws and toughen criminal penalties for predators who use computer technology to exploit and victimize children.

“We will not allow sexual predators to hide in the shadows of cyberspace. The On-Line Safety Act modernizes our laws to protect our children from the threats of the 21st century,” Gov. Lynch said.

The Online Safety Act increases penalties for enticing a child over the Internet, and adds enhanced penalties for repeat offenders; it overhauls and expands child pornography laws to better reflect the victimization that occurs everyday when images of sexually abused children are created and distributed over the Internet; and it closes a loophole in indecent exposure and lewdness laws to enable law enforcement to capture sex offenders using web cams. The legislation also requires convicted sex offenders to register their e-mail address and on-line identity.

“With technology we can sit in our living rooms and pay our bills, book a vacation, or keep in touch with friends and family across the country with just a couple of clicks,” Gov. Lynch said. “Unfortunately, technology also makes it easier for criminals to sneak into our homes. We must ensure our laws are protecting our children from threats posed by today’s technological world.”

The Online Child Safety Act is one piece of an ongoing comprehensive effort to make New Hampshire an even safer place for children. In 2006, Gov. Lynch worked with lawmakers, the attorney general and the state’s police chiefs to craft one of the toughest and most comprehensive child protection laws in the nation.

The current state budget creates and funds an Internet crimes prosecutor position in the Attorney General’s Office to address this growing problem. The state is also continuing its efforts to help educate parents and children about the potential dangers lurking on the Internet.

“With this legislation we are helping parents and taking another important step forward in making our state a safer place for all our children,” Gov. Lynch said. “This bill will allow the State of New Hampshire, and parents, to better protect our most precious resource, our children.”

“Over the last year, I have given presentations to parents, teens and schools across New Hampshire on Internet safety. As parents, we are all deeply concerned about criminals using the Internet to exploit and prey on our children,” said Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. “I am convinced that in addition to education, New Hampshire needs stronger laws to crack down on Internet predators. I am proud to work with Governor Lynch in drafting this legislation allowing prosecutors to seek much tougher penalties against Internet predators. Passing this legislation will send a strong message to Internet predators to stay away from our children.”

Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes said. “I want to thank the Governor for taking a lead on this issue and working closely with law enforcement on what is a very serious, growing problem here in New Hampshire and across the country. The Department of Safety stands ready to assist local police in enforcing the provisions of this legislation by examining computers and processing computer forensic evidence. We look forward to working with Governor Lynch and the bill’s sponsors on this initiative.”

The Online Child Safety Act is sponsored by Sens. Joe Foster, D-Nashua, Betsi DeVries, D-Manchester, Bob Letourneau, R-Derry; and Reps. William Knowles, D-Dover and David Welch, R-Kingston.

“I think it is important to do all we can to protect children from sexual predators and to give law enforcement the tools it needs to get these predators out of our kids’ computer chat rooms,” said Sen. Foster, the bill’s prime sponsor.

“I believe this legislation will give police officers the tools they need to stop these predators,” said Rep. Welch. “Like everything else, our laws need to adapt with the times, and I think this legislation brings us into the 21st century.”