Pennsylvania's House and Senate both passed legislation that would pump up to $5 million a year into task forces hunting down people who prey on children online. House Bill 1098 cleared both chambers unanimously, sending a bill named for a Pittsburgh-area survivor of one of the nation's earliest internet-facilitated child abductions to the governor's desk.
According to Tri-State Alert, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved the measure unanimously, and state Sen. Devlin Robinson said providing funding and tools will better protect children from online crimes. The bill's text, obtained from the Pennsylvania General Assembly, establishes an Investigation and Prosecution of Internet Crimes Against Children Program inside the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which would be authorized to award grants to law-enforcement agencies building or sustaining task forces dedicated to internet-based crimes against minors.
The House concurred in Senate amendments, and the Senate gave the bill final passage, per the official House Bill 1098 bill page. House Bill 1098 was first introduced in 2024 by Rep. Jason Ortitay along with Reps. Jessica Benham, Cook, Madden, Sanchez and Gaydos, and is companion legislation to Senate Bill 1335, per Tri-State Alert.
What the Grants Could Fund
Under the bill, eligible agencies could use grant money for investigators, prosecutors, forensic specialists and professional education tied to cases involving human trafficking, sexual offenses, child sexual abuse, unlawful contact with minors and online sexual exploitation of children, according to the bill text filed with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The funding would not replace existing federal Internet Crimes Against Children grants but would supplement them, the legislation specifies. Specialized training funded through the program is meant to equip task force personnel with current best practices and investigative techniques, per the same bill language.
The commission would have to set up grant application guidelines and evaluation criteria, and ensure the money is distributed equitably across the state rather than concentrated in a handful of counties, the bill text states. Ortitay said social media is now in the hands of children as young as nine or 10 years old, and that the crimes committed against them online are accelerating, according to Tri-State Alert.
The Case Behind Alicia's Law
The legislation carries the name Alicia's Law, honoring Alicia Kozakiewicz, a Pittsburgh-area resident who was 13 years old in 2002 when a man she had met online drove to Pittsburgh, kidnapped her from her home, and held her captive while livestreaming her abuse, per Tri-State Alert. Her case is recognized as the nation's first known internet-facilitated child abduction. She survived her abduction and was found three days later in a Virginia home, according to the Observer-Reporter, now 38 years old.
Kozakiewicz has said a viewer recognized her from her missing-person poster and called law enforcement, which led to her rescue, Tri-State Alert reports. She has since dedicated herself to educating families and students about online safety and advocating for stronger child protections. She has said predators target children and that Pennsylvania's task forces need investigators, training and resources to keep up.
How Pennsylvania Compares to Other States
If signed, Pennsylvania would join 13 other states that have enacted versions of Alicia's Law, according to Tri-State Alert, while the Observer-Reporter reported in May that twelve other states had already put similar laws on their books. Illinois became the 13th state to commit dedicated resources under the law, according to the Illinois State Police, whose Alicia's Law legislation, House Bill 2586, made investigating internet crimes against children a permanent function of the agency. The Illinois State Police has said the number of such cases has grown over the years, and the agency re-established its Division of Criminal Investigation in 2019 to prioritize those investigations.
House Bill 1098 now heads to the governor's desk for signature, according to Tri-State Alert. The bill's official status on the state legislature's website currently lists its last action as being signed in the Senate.
