The so-called David's Law, which strengthens the penalties for cyber-bullying, has cleared a major hurdle in its journey to the governor's desk, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.
The bill, which is named after Alamo Heights teen David Molak, has passed the Texas Senate and is now on its way to the house. The unanimous vote was praised by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
"There are always moments during a session that makes everyone proud. Senators coming together, working with each other, to find a solution to a significant issue in a very bipartisan way," he said.
The Molak family teamed up with San Antonio State Senator Jose Menendez to craft the legislation, which would make cyberbullying a misdemeanor and give authority to courts to issue subpoenas to unmask anonymous harassers.
"When we were growing up, the bullying was in the cafeteria, in the locker room and on the playground, but when you got home, you were gone," Menendez testified. "The sad thing now is that the bullies are on our phones and computer."
The Molak family was in the audience when the bill passed.
“Our family is grateful that the Texas Senate came together today to unanimously pass David's Law. This shows a universal acknowledgement of the need to protect our children from the dangers of cyberbullying and we look forward to the next major step for this legislation in the Texas House of Representatives. We hope that supporters of this movement will continue to advocate in favor of David's Law by contacting their representatives,” Matt Molak tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
The bill received bi-partisan support. Senator Eddie Lucio said this fills a critical need in our state,
"It's about creating a better quality of life for people. It's a pro-life issue for me."
The vote comes at a crucial time in the Texas legislature. Bills that don't make it off the floor this week are doomed to fail this session.
David's Law now heads to the Texas House, where a companion bill is authored by San Antonio State Representative Ina Minjarez.
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