Louisiana legislator OK bill to strengthen penalties for virtual map crimes
Louisiana legislators approve a bill to toughen penalties for crimes committed with the aid of Internet-generated “virtual maps,” including acts of terrorism; bill defines a “virtual street-level map” as one that is available on the Internet and can generate the location or picture of a home or building by entering the address of the structure or an individual’s name on a Web site
A Louisiana Senate bill to toughen penalties for crimes committed with the aid of Internet-generated “virtual maps,” including acts of terrorism, won quick approval Monday in the House.
The Times-Picayune’s Anderson writes that by an vote of 89-0, lawmakers approved Senate Senate Bill 151 by Sen. Robert Adley (R-Benton), sending the measure back to the Senate for approval of clarifying amendments made by a House committee.
Adley’s bill defines a “virtual street-level map” as one that is available on the Internet and can generate the location or picture of a home or building by entering the address of the structure or an individual’s name on a Web site.
Representative Henry Burns (R-Haughton), who handled Adley’s bill on the House floor, said that if the map is used in an act of terrorism, the legislation requires a judge to impose an additional minimum sentence of at least ten years onto the terrorist act.
If the map is used in the commission of a crime like burglary, Burns said, the bill calls for the addition of at least one year in jail to be added to the burglary sentence.
