Obscene

phone calls made to children would be a

misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature under

a bill sponsored by Peachtree City's Rep. Kathy

Cox and recently passed by the Georgia

Legislature.

"This

bill changes the law to create the offense of

obscene telephone contact with a child under the

age of four," Cox said. "In the age of

the Internet and latch-key kids, we want to

protect our children from sexual predators at the

earliest possible point, before physical contact

is initiated by a molester."

The

bill closes a loophole in Georgia law that

previously allowed only a harassing phone call to

be levied against an individual, which did not

fully disclose the true nature of their crime,

said Cox. Any subsequent convictions would be

felonies punishable by three to five years in

prison.

Cox

and the Georgia Council on Child Abuse hope that

this proactive measure will curb the escalation

of child molestation in the state.

Other

sponsors of the bill include Reps. Lynn Smith,

Randy Sauder, Sharon Cooper, Larry Walker and

Calvin Smyre.

The

bill passed the House March 8 and was approved by

the Senate March 16. It now goes to the

governor's office for his signature.

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