Partners for Our Children

Sexual abuse and exploitation of children robs victims of their childhood and irrevocably interferes with their emotional and psychological development, and due to a lack of dedicated resources, only two percent of known child exploitation offenders are being investigated. Additional funding sources are needed to ensure that law enforcement agencies can adequately investigate and prosecute offenders and victims can receive necessary services, including mental health treatment.  This bill would address deposits to the child rescue fund from unclaimed lottery prizes.  Whereby, unclaimed lottery prizes must be retained in the state lottery account for the person entitled to them for 180 days after the drawing in which the prize is won, or after the official end of the game for instant prizes, but if no claim is made for the prize within this time, all rights to the prize are extinguished, and five percent of all unclaimed prize money must be deposited in the child rescue fund.