Florida state lawmakers have proposed that it be a felony

Following the highly publicized Casey Anthony verdict, a handful of Florida state lawmakers have proposed that it be a felony if parents do not inform law enforcement of a missing or dead child.

Two days after a jury acquitted the 25-year-old mother in the 2008 death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee, at least one bill was filed in the state legislature to close loopholes critics said resulted in a not guilty verdict.

The seven-week caught national attention and became a cable reality TV must-see.

Republican lawmakers Rep. Jose Diaz of Miami and Scott Plakon of Longwood, on Thursday filed the measure dubbed "Caylee's Law" that makes it a felony for parents or caregivers who fail to verify the whereabouts and safety of a child up to 12 years of age within 48 hours. The law also requires that a child's death be reported within two hours.

"While the process that produced the verdict must be respected, the deficiencies in our laws that have become apparent from this case should not be," Diaz said in a statement Thursday.

The bill also bolsters penalties for anyone who provides false statements to police.

Caylee Anthony was last seen on June 16, 2008, Police did not learn of her disappearance until July 15. The child's skeletal remains were discovered December 11, 2008.

Prosecutors accused Anthony of using duct tape to suffocate her daughter after using chloroform to render her unconscious. They alleged that she put the child's body in the trunk of her car for a few days before disposing of it.

Though acquitted of murder, Anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to police, a misdemeanor under Florida law. Jailed since her arrest in late 2008, Anthony was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison but is scheduled to be released Wednesday for time served and good behavior.

The bill would make the crime a second degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"We must provide steeper penalties where a caretaker ... intentionally misleads or impedes law enforcement during an investigation involving his or her child," Plakon said.

On Wednesday, an Oklahoma lawmaker said he planned to introduce a similar law in his state. It would also require parents to swiftly report the death or disappearance of a child.

The chairman of the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Greg EversBaker, on Thursday said his committee would spend its first committee meeting in September discussing what the chamber should do in response to the Anthony verdict.