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Session of 1999
          HOUSE BILL No. 2284           By Representatives Dean, Benlon, Burroughs, Campbell, Flaharty, How-                 ell, McClure, Pauls, Powers, Ruff, Thimesch, Toplikar, Wagle and
                Welshimer
                2-5          

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11             AN  ACT concerning minors' access to certain material; enacting the child
12             online protection act; prohibiting certain acts and providing penalties
13             for violations.
14      
15       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
16             Section  1. This act may be cited as the child online protection act.
17             Sec.  2. As used in this section:
18             (a) "By means of the world wide web" means by placement of ma-
19       terial in a computer server-based file archive so that it is publicly acces-
20       sible, over the internet, using hypertext transfer protocol, file transfer
21       protocol or other similar protocol.
22             (b) "Engaged in the business" means that the person who sells or
23       transfers or offers to sell or transfer, by means of the world wide web,
24       material that is harmful to minors devotes time, attention or labor to such
25       activities, as a regular course of trade or business, with the objective of
26       earning a profit, although it is not necessary that the person make a profit
27       or that the selling or transferring or offering to sell or transfer such ma-
28       terial be the person's sole or principal business or source of income.
29             (c) "Harmful to minors" has the meaning provided by K.S.A. 21-
30       4301c and amendments thereto.
31             (d) "Internet" means the combination of computer facilities and elec-
32       tromagnetic transmission media, and related equipment and software,
33       comprising the interconnected worldwide network of computer networks
34       that employ the transmission control protocol/internet protocol, or any
35       predecessor or successor protocol to transmit information.
36             (e) "Minor" means any unmarried person under 18 years of age.
37             Sec.  3. (a) Any person who, in intrastate commerce, is engaged in
38       the business of selling or transferring, by means of the world wide web,
39       material that is harmful to minors shall restrict access to such material by
40       minors.
41             (b) Violation of subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine
42       of not more than $50,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months,
43       or both. If the violation is intentional, each day of violation shall constitute
44       a separate offense.
45             (c) In addition to the penalties provided by subsections (b), any per-
46       son who violates subsection (a) shall be liable, in a civil action brought by
47       the county or district attorney, for a civil fine of not more than $50,000
48       for each violation. For purposes of this subsection, each day of violation
49       shall constitute a separate offense.
50             (d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this subsection
51       that the defendant restricted minors' access to material harmful to minors
52       by requiring use of a verified credit card, debit account, adult access code
53       or adult personal identification number.
54        Sec.  4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
55       publication in the statute book.