AP

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Attorney General Greg Abbott called Tuesday for tougher laws on sexual predators who solicit minors online.

"It takes only seconds for sexual predators to reach our children online," Dewhurst said. "But it may take a lifetime to recover from sexual victimization."

Dewhurst said second-time sex offenders who target children under 14 should die by lethal injection.

But critics warn the law could backfire because if molestors face no greater penalty for murdering their victim, they might choose to kill them.

Dewhurst and Abbott are both Republicans running for re-election next month. Under Dewhurst's plan, Texas law would toughen penalties for certain sex crimes involving minors:

- Allow prosecutors to seek consecutive prison sentences for online solicitation of a minor and boost the penalty for adults who solicit children under 16.

- Increase penalties from sexually explicit online communications between an adult and children 14-16 years old.

- Expand reward programs for reporting offenders.

- Require companies to comply with a 48-hour time period to respond to subpoenas, search warrants or court orders.

- Create a clearinghouse in the attorney general's office of Internet service providers' contact information.

Dewhurst presides over the state Senate. His campaign said he will travel the state in the coming weeks to discuss his plan.

WFAA contributed to this report