Cyberbully Bill Heads to Senate Floor

BATON ROUGE -- Teenagers who maliciously taunt their classmates through any electronic means could face fines and possible jail time if legislation headed to the Senate floor receives final approval.

State Rep. Roy Burrell, D-Shreveport, author of House Bill 1259, said his bill addresses a rising problem that has resulted in several teenagers committing suicide rather than face more torment.

If a group of teens or a single student targets another and bombards him or her with repeated e-mails, Facebook postings or other methods of electronic harassment, the bill allows an arrest on a formal complaint and possible $500 fine and up to six months in jail for cyberbullying.

"This is serious," Burrell said to the Senate Judiciary C Committee on Tuesday and said as many as 10,000 cases of cyberbullying have been reported. "It can be devastating" and has led to four teenagers committing suicide in the U.S. in the past two years.

He said some teens begin tormenting others "on a whim" and he wanted to give parents and district attorneys something to hold over perpetrators' heads to make them stop sending messages. If they don't, they could be fined and prosecuted...

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