Zach Nunn introduces new bill cracking down on online child pornography and sexual abuse

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn is cosponsoring new bipartisan legislation cracking down on online child pornography and sexual exploitation.

Nunn announced the legislation at a news conference Wednesday at the Boys & Girls Club of Des Moines, surrounded by local law enforcement officials.

"It is imperative that we use the full extent of the law to hold accountable those who would exploit and sexually assault a child in violation of the laws, and moving it from pornography to what it truly is: a sexual crime against a minor," Nunn said.

The Child Online Safety Modernization Act would strengthen the CyberTipline at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by requiring reports to be stored for a year to give law enforcement time to act and build a case against an alleged offender. That's up from 90 days under current law.

The bill would also require online platforms to report instances of child sex trafficking to the CyberTipline, something not required by current law. It would also add requirements for what information needs to be included in a report.

And the bill replaces the term "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material," according to a news release.

"This is not pornography. This is straight up child sexual abuse," Nunn said.

Nunn, a Republican, is cosponsoring the bill with Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican from Missouri, and Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas.

Nunn said he's hopeful that the bill has the support to pass Congress this year. He said it has bipartisan support in the House and lawmakers are working on securing support in the Senate.

"I think this is something that is not a political issue," he said. "This is a community safety issue. It’s something that we all agree on and it’s something frankly that as we learn more about it we realize how expansive it truly is across the country."

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.