Gov. Bill Owens signed what is probably his final bill as governor Wednesday, approving a measure cracking down on predators who use the Internet to entice children.
“It’s a very nice way to end up,” Owens said during the bill signing at the Boys & Girls Club. “I’m feeling great. It’s a very important issue.”
The outgoing governor also decided Wednesday – the deadline for him to sign or veto bills – to allow Senate Bill 51 to pass into law without a signature. The bill prohibits state elected officials from accepting money into office accounts. Previously, there were no restrictions on donations to such accounts.
Owens, who usually distributes the pens he uses to sign bills to the sponsors and guests, pocketed the one he used on his final measure.
This year, Owens signed 386 bills, four of which had line-item vetoes. He vetoed 44 – down from his record 47 last year – and allowed nine to become law without his signature.
House Bill 1011 makes it a felony to use the Internet to set up a meeting with a child younger than 15 without the parents’ permission. The law also makes it a felony to expose oneself or ask a child to expose him or herself over the Internet and makes possession of child pornography a felony.
Before the new bill, police could only arrest a suspect once he showed up at a meeting with the child, and the first conviction on child porn possession was a misdemeanor.
Law enforcement officials said the new law allows them to take action earlier to protect children.
“This legislation will make the Internet a safer place,” said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
Earlier in the morning, Owens signed three other bills dealing with crimes against children. House Bill 1058 creates surcharges for people convicted of sex offenses, which will mostly go to a child-abuse investigation fund; House Bill 1092 increases penalties for possession of child pornography; and House Bill 1151 prohibits emotional child abuse.
Owens also signed House Bill 1149, expanding reporting requirements for lobbyists.
In a letter to the legislature sent with Senate Bill 51, Owens said he did not veto the bill because it closes some loopholes, but he urged the legislature to find a way to assist rural legislators who have significant expenses during the session.
“If a workable proposal is not put forth in 2007, at some point only the wealthy will be able to serve our rural districts,” Owens wrote.
Sponsors of the Internet predator bill said that the legislature and other states will have to keep vigilant as technology changes.
“We are hoping that other states will follow suit,” said Sen. Paula Sandoval, D- Denver. “The Internet is not just in Colorado.”
Colorado Springs Detective Adam Romine, who works in the sex-crimes unit, said the legislature still has to cover predators who will use products such as cellphones or MP3 players that have Internet connections to entice children.
Owens expressed his gratitude to the police fighting child predators.
The criminals “are so disgusting, and you have to deal with them every day,” he said.
Staff writer Arthur Kane can be reached at 303-820-1626 or akane@denverpost.com.
