Va. targets adults who French kiss kids

[bjorkfan]

By DENA POTTER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Mar 9, 1:48 AM ET

RICHMOND, Va. - State legislators passed a law Saturday that would require adults who French kiss a child younger than 13 to register as a sex offender.

Those convicted of tongue-kissing a child would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The House of Delegates passed the legislation 96-1 and the Senate 39-0.

The bill now heads to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who said he supports the legislation.

Delagate Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, introduced the bill on behalf of a woman whose 10-year-old daughter was French-kissed by the 62-year-old husband of her babysitter.

The only crime prosecutors could charge the man with was contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which did not require that he register as a sex offender.

Ingram and other members of the House fought to make the crime a felony, but in the final day of the 2008 General Assembly session gave in to senators who thought that classifying it as a felony was too harsh.

Delegate Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, cast the lone nay vote, refusing to back down from his belief that the crime should be a felony.

"I think that type of behavior is so egregious it warrants a felony," Hamilton said.

Ingram said he was satisfied that a conviction would land someone on the sex offender registry.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/french_kissing_minors

[pnwmom]

1. Sounds okay to me. n/t

[virginia mountainman]

2. Something about passing laws..

because "one person" did something, bothers me.

[bjorkfan]

3. Type of behavior that should already be covered by existing child abuse laws.

[westerebus]

4. How about...

the parent gets to beat the living crap out of the dumb ass who french kissed their kid law? That makes more sense to me. Then again what do I know.