Wasserman Schultz teams with Republican to stop online piracy and porn

By William Gibson

Who says the parties can’t work together?

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, very much a Democrat, teamed up on Monday with Republican colleague Lamar Smith of Texas to promote their legislation to stop online piracy and child pornography.

They met in Miami with Spanish singer-songwriter Shaila Dúrcal, who showed them how to record a hit song, and to record a public-service announcement about their proposed Stop Online Piracy Act. The bill aims to protect music, film, software, books and other property from being illegally copied or stolen.

They also met on Monday with Broward County and FBI investigators to talk about ways to catch online predators.

Smith and Wasserman Schultz have introduced the Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act, which would require Internet service providers to retain subscriber information for up to 12 months to help investigators catch pornographers. The bill would also make it a federal crime to financially facilitate the sale, distribution and purchase of child pornography.