SLS 19RS-286 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 56
BY SENATOR LONG
CHILDREN. Establishes a task force to study all issues related to the exposure of children
to pornography.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To establish the Task Force on Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography to study
3 and make recommendations regarding all issues related to the exposure of children
4 to pornography and the effect it has on children.
5 WHEREAS, the members of the Louisiana Legislature recognize that pornography
6 is creating a public health crisis and that it perpetuates a sexually toxic environment; and
7 WHEREAS, pornography contributes to the hyper-sexualization of teens and even
8 prepubescent children in our society; and
9 WHEREAS, advancements in technology and the universal availability of the
10 internet and social media makes pornographic materials more easily accessible for young
11 children; and
12 WHEREAS, research demonstrates that one-third of ten-year-olds and one-half of
13 twelve-to-fifteen-year-olds regularly access internet pornography and other adult content;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, the average age of exposure to pornography is now eleven-to-twelve-
16 years-old; and
17 WHEREAS, exposure to pornography often serves as sex education for children and
18 youth and informs their sexual templates; and
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1 WHEREAS, early exposure of pornography can lead to low self-esteem and body
2 image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased
3 desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior; and
4 WHEREAS, pornography that depicts violence and abuse of women and children
5 tends to normalize such behavior; and
6 WHEREAS, pornography equates violence toward women and children with sex, and
7 pain with pleasure, which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual
8 abuse images, and child pornography; and
9 WHEREAS, potential detrimental effects on children and youth exposed to
10 pornography can impact brain development and functioning, contribute to emotional and
11 medical illness, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or
12 maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promote problematic or harmful
13 sexual behavior and addiction; and
14 WHEREAS, studies conclude exposure to pornography at an early age is especially
15 detrimental, causing addictions to instant gratification and greater impulses for increasingly
16 more shocking material, leading to engagement in progressively more risky sexual behavior;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, pornography use is linked to lessening desire in young men to marry,
19 dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity, and this link demonstrates that pornography has
20 a detrimental effect on the family, the fundamental social unit in our culture; and
21 WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate
22 individuals and families concerning its harmful effects, and to develop recovery programs
23 must be addressed systemically in a manner that holds providers accountable.
24 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
25 establish the Task Force on Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography to study all
26 issues related to the exposure of children to pornography and the impact it has on their lives
27 and to recommend any action or legislation that the task force deems necessary or
28 appropriate.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force on Protecting Children from
30 Exposure to Pornography shall be comprised of the following fifteen members:
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1 (1) The president pro tempore of the Louisiana Senate, or his designee.
2 (2) The speaker pro tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives, or his
3 designee.
4 (3) The chair of the Senate Education Committee, or his designee.
5 (4) The chair of the House Committee on Education, or her designee.
6 (5) The chair of the Senate Select Women and Children Committee, or her designee.
7 (6) A representative of the Department of Children and Family Services, designated
8 by the secretary of the department.
9 (7) A representative of the Governor's Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and
10 Delinquency Prevention, designated by the governor.
11 (8) A representative of the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission, designated by the
12 chairman of the commission.
13 (9) A representative of the Children's Code Committee of the Louisiana State Law
14 Institute, designated by the chairman of the committee.
15 (10) A representative of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, designated by
16 the president of the association.
17 (11) A representative of the Louisiana Attorney General's Cyber Crime Unit,
18 designated by the attorney general.
19 (12) A representative of the Department of Education, designated by the state
20 superintendent of education.
21 (13) A representative of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, designated by the
22 executive director of the convention.
23 (14) A representative of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, designated
24 by the executive director of the conference.
25 (15) A representative of the Louisiana Family Forum, designated by the president of
26 the forum.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting such study, the task force shall
28 consult with experts across the state and around the country, consider current training and
29 education initiatives, and explore all technological solutions.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of this task force shall serve without
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1 compensation, except per diem or expense reimbursement to which they may be individually
2 entitled to as members of the constituent organizations.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
4 constitute a quorum of the task force and any official action by the task force shall require
5 an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the names of the members chosen, designated,
7 or elected as provided herein shall be submitted to the president pro tempore of the
8 Louisiana Senate by August 1, 2019.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall hold its organizational
10 meeting at the call of the president pro tempore of the Louisiana Senate and at its
11 organizational meeting, the task force shall elect a chair and such other officers as it deems
12 necessary.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may conduct such meetings at
14 such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and
15 effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this
16 resolution.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall make a report of its findings
18 and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, to the legislature
19 no later than January 1, 2020, at which time the task force shall cease to exist.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
21 Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, the Governor's Advisory Board of
22 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission, the
23 Children's Code Committee of the Louisiana State Law Institute, the Louisiana District
24 Attorneys Association, the Louisiana Attorney General's Cyber Crime Unit, the Louisiana
25 Department of Education, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, the Louisiana Conference of
26 Catholic Bishops, and Louisiana Family Forum.
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Morgan B. Robertson.
DIGEST
SCR 56 Original 2019 Regular Session Long
Creates the Task Force on Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography to study and
make recommendations regarding the accidental or intentional exposure of children to
internet pornography and the effect it has on them.
Provides for the task force membership and its powers and duties. Requires that report, if
any, be submitted to the legislature no later than January 1, 2020.
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