State Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen today announced PassRebeccasLaw.com, a recently launched website calling on the public’s help in passing HB 451, a landmark anti-bullying bill.
The Fort Myers Republican launched the site to collect signatures and support for her proposed measure, which the Legislature will consider during this session.
“Rebecca’s Law” is named after 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick, who committed suicide last year at an abandoned cement plant near her Polk County home.
Later, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd accused a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old of harassing and intimidating Sedwick so badly that she killed herself. Judd tried to charge both with felony aggravated stalking – the first time the statute applied to a cyberbullying case — but prosecutors later dropped charges against the two girls.
“As a mother, the thought of a child being bullied to the point of taking his or her own life, is unimaginably heartbreaking,” Fitzenhagen said in a statement released today. “As a legislator, I believe we must ensure that those who would willfully and maliciously bully and threaten our children are held to account.”
If passed, Fitzenhagen’s proposal would create two new classes of criminal offense in Florida: misdemeanor bullying and aggravated bullying, which would be a third-degree felony.
The bill defines bullying as harassing another person “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly.” Someone charged with aggravated bullying would be accused of “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly harasses or cyberbullies another person and makes a credible threat to that person.”
Punishment for bullying would vary based on the degree of the act, starting with fines up to jail time.
“I believe this legislation strikes a balance between free speech and criminal behavior and I hope my colleagues will join me in this mission,” Fitzenhagen said. “Today’s launch of passrebeccaslaw.com will allow citizen supporters to let their voices be heard on this pressing issue facing the next generation.
“The security of our children is not a partisan issue,” she added. “I hope voters of all parties and ideologies will join us in this endeavor and I look forward to taking their concerns to Tallahassee.”
