The Internet can be an extremely useful research tool. With a few clicks of a computer mouse, a gateway to the cyberworld opens with endless amounts of information available. But there is a downside to all of this access. There are sexual predators hiding behind their computer screens waiting to prey upon children who are innocently using their computers.

There have been numerous examples of children being lured to meetings by sexual predators. One man was nabbed twice in Internet stings for allegedly attempting to arrange a sexual liaison with a 14-year-old girl who turned out to be an undercover police officer. Another man was convicted of 63 counts of kidnapping, rape, sex abuse and other charges after using a computer chat to lure a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl to a shopping mall and then holding her hostage for weeks. Then there was a Westchester man who was charged with befriending six girls over the Internet, then raping, sodomizing and abusing them.

There are multiple examples that send the message that children are not safe on the Internet unless they are well supervised or educated to communicate with their parents and guardians.

Assemblyman Tom Alfano and Assemblyman Bob Barra plan to fight the problem of cyber-predators luring children from the safety of their homes, by proposing a law that creates the new crime of "luring" and "computer luring."

"With this bill and proposal, we hope to take the first step in identifying cyber-predators and stopping them from hurting our children," said Alfano.

The Alfano-Barra bill would make such crimes as trying to lure an underage child into a sexual encounter a felony, punishable by as much as seven years in state prison. The bill would create new crimes of "Luring," a Class D felony for attempting to lure or entice a child under 17 into a car, building or other isolated place for the purpose of committing a sexual offense, and "Computer Luring," also a Class D felony, for attempting to solicit sexual contact with a minor under 17.

Alfano and Barra also proposed that New York State establish an internet site that "identified predators" have to sign into before they go on the web as well. As a person then enters a chat room area, they will be outlined with a red box to note they are sexual predators.

"This bill will be a first in our state and will provide an effective deterrent to those who would use the Internet in an attempt to harm young children," said Barra.

According to statistics, cyberluring has become an alarming problem among children. A 2000 poll by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that one in five children aged 10 to 17 have received sexually explicit solicitation over the Internet and three percent of teen Internet users said they had received an "aggressive sexual solicitation," meaning that another online user had asked to meet them somewhere, called on the telephone or sent them mail, money or gifts.

"Children today are being preyed upon by pedophiles day in and day out unbeknownst to their parents, unbeknownst to the people who love them most. Certainly chat rooms and the Internet have facilitated these predators to be able to lure children from the safety of their homes and schools into certain sites where they would be alone without their parents and teachers and they would be harmed by pedophiles and people who have some bad designs in them," Alfano said. "I'm very proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation along with Assemblyman Barra because we certainly have an obligation and duty to our children to protect them from these people who would do great harm to them. This is landmark legislation."

Alfano said he is confident the bill will receive support from the Senate and Governor. It has already received support from many community leaders "As a society, we have a moral responsibility to safeguard our children from predators who prey upon our children through the Internet and our streets. The penalties that are being proposed will go a long way in protecting our community," said Elmont Superintendent of Schools Dr. Maria Palandra.

Assemblyman Barra and Assemblyman Alfano hope stiffer penalties will act as a deterrent to cyberstalkers as the bill, if passed, would empower law enforcement officials to more severely prosecute those who use the Internet to lure children.