H.C.R. No. 14
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, According to a sample survey of the nearly 24
million school-aged children that were on-line regularly in 1999,
roughly one in five received a sexual solicitation; remarkably,
fewer than 10 percent of these sexual solicitations were ever
reported to authorities; and
WHEREAS, Unfortunately, as the Internet has revolutionized
access to information, sharing of ideas, and global communication,
it also has provided a vast landscape for the machinations of sexual
predators; the United States Customs Service reports there are an
estimated 100,000 websites involved in some way with child
pornography, and arrests, indictments, and convictions for
possession of child pornography transported across borders have
climbed steadily since 1992, doubling several times during the last
10 years; and
WHEREAS, Among the websites charging users to view images of
children in suggestive poses are those that have become known as
exploitive child modeling sites; where legitimate child modeling
websites market the talent of the model, exploitive child modeling
features compromising visual depictions of children without a
direct or even indirect purpose of marketing an actual product
other than the images of the minor; and
WHEREAS, The anonymous nature of communicating through the
Internet allows pedophiles to deceitfully contact and personally
interact with these child models, providing opportunity to develop
on-line relationships and thereby increasing the chances of
aggressive solicitations for meeting in person; and
WHEREAS, More than 70 percent of convicted pedophiles have
accessed child pornography or exploitive child modeling websites as
a means of sexual gratification, and the very operators of these
sites, while defending their legitimacy, admit that pedophiles are
likely frequent visitors; and
WHEREAS, Legislation is now before the 107th Congress that
would protect children's opportunities to develop legitimate
modeling careers and at the same time protect them from
exploitation at the hands of website operators; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to enact
the Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
West Wise
Allen Smith of Tarrant
Flynn Hughes
Mercer Phillips
Zedler Crabb
Christian Swinford
Van Arsdale King
Morrison
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 14 was adopted by the House on March
28, 2003, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 14 was adopted by the Senate on May
20, 2003, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor