In a message to Kansas lawmakers this week, State Attorney General Derek Schmidt said that felons convicted of trading child pornography online should be required to register as sex offenders.

“This is a matter of the law needing to catch up with technology,” Schmidt said. “Sadly, as the methods of distributing visual depictions of children being sexually abused have expanded, so too must the legal tools available to respond to that sort of illegal behavior that harms kids. This added tool is needed to help prevent more kids from becoming victims.”

In response, legislators introduced Senate Bill 368, which would require individuals who are convicted of internet trading in child pornography or aggravated internet trading in child pornography to register as sexually violent offenders.

Under current law, the list of sexually violent offenses that require registration includes exploitation of a child but not internet trading or aggravated internet trading of images of children being sexually abused.

Current Kansas law makes it a felony to knowingly share child pornography by way of any electronic device connected to the internet. Upon conviction, the penalties for the related crimes of internet trading of child pornography and aggravated internet trading of child pornography range from probation to life imprisonment, depending on factors including the age of the child victim. However, current law does not require persons convicted of these crimes to register as sexually violent offenders as must persons convicted of other sex offenses against children. The proposed legislation would extend registration requirements to these crimes.

Schmidt’s office testified there is a strong correlation between collecting and disseminating child pornography and contact offenses against children, so adding a registration requirement to these online sex crimes against children will increase protection for vulnerable populations.