ST. GEORGE — A proposal to tax Internet porn peddlers will help protect children from being exposed to online smut, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said Friday at the Children's Justice Center in St. George.

"This information came across my desk, and it's very disturbing," Matheson said during a short news conference held to discuss federal legislation he recently introduced in the House. "Pornography is specifically being targeted to children. The largest consumer of porn on the Internet is children ages 12 to 17, and the average age of first being exposed to porn is 11 years old. That's very disturbing."

Matheson described his bill, HR3479: The Internet Safety and Child Protection Act, as "very simple legislation." Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., introduced the bill in the Senate.

"The bill requires and mandates the use of age verification software, similar to the type already used with Internet tobacco sales," said Matheson. "It provides for a more rigorous effort to prove someone is of the appropriate age to access these porn sites."

The bill would also impose a 25 percent tax on the display of Internet pornography or transactions. Taxes collected would go into a trust fund for the Department of Justice Cyber Tip Line, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and research grants.

"That money would be used to enforce the law, form task forces and conduct research programs to discourage access of this material to children."

Local law enforcement leaders, who said they support the congressman's efforts to stop the victimization of young people, joined Matheson.

"I believe in my heart that methamphetamine is an epidemic in our society and pornography is a cancer. Cancer kills," said Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith, who added that during his 21-year career as a Utah Highway Patrol trooper he learned that porn and drugs go together.

"Without exception, if I found porn in a car, I found drugs," he said. "I know it's dangerous to make generalizations like that, but it's true."

St. George Acting Police Chief Russ Peck said Matheson's bill would provide law enforcement with an important tool.

"We almost invariably see porn when we do these drug busts," he said. "This is a great bill and we support what he (Matheson) is doing."

Patricia Sheffield works with underage victims as director of the Children's Justice Center and said pornography is creating young victims all the time.

"We're seeing more juvenile perpetrators," she said. "We are being encouraged now to ask victims what kind of porn they've been exposed to and whether it was through the Internet. This bill can address some of the problem, but if parents aren't the first line of defense, then how can we stop this easy access into every home?"