New Mexico Attorney General’s Office Special Agent Jay Ratfliff, left, testifies Tuesday night in support of SB 380 with Sen. Jacob Candelaria before the Senate Public Affairs Committee. Courtesy photo

New Mexico Attorney General’s Office Special Agent Jay Ratfliff, left, testifies Tuesday night in support of SB 380 before in the Senate Public Affairs Committee. Courtesy photo

STATE News:

• SB 380 Will Help Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Protect New Mexico Kids

SANTA FE – Tonight, the Senate Public Affairs Committee passed SB 380. Previously, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced his support for SB 380, the Internet Crimes Against Children Fund bill and asked legislators that they too support this critical piece of  legislation.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Bernalillo, would require convicted sex offenders to pay a fee of $140 at the time of their mandatory registration. The fees collected would be deposited into the Internet Crimes Against Children Fund — created by this bill and administered by the attorney general’s office — to be used to cover costs associated with investigating internet crimes against children across New Mexico.

In 2014, there were 490 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigations in New Mexico, which resulted in 98 arrests, 126 state prosecutions and 27 federal prosecutions.

“My office is focused on protecting New Mexico children from sexual predators. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is critical to keeping our kids safe and locking up predators,” Balderas said. “I want to thank Sen. Candelaria for sponsoring this critical piece of legislation, and I also want to thank the Courts, Corrections and Justice Interim Committee for endorsing the bill. I humbly ask all New Mexico legislators for their support for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.”

“The attorney general’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force performs crucial work protecting children in our state and around the country,” Candelaria said. “They should never lack funding to fulfill their mission. I am sponsoring this bill to make sure the task force has the resources it needs to fight exploitation of kids online.”