Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on May 22, 2017. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017
(Sec. 2) This bill makes it a federal crime, subject to certain jurisdictional requirements, to: (1) knowingly produce or cause to be produced a visual depiction of a minor engaged in any sexually explicit conduct; (2) knowingly transmit a live depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct; (3) have a minor assist any other person in producing or transmitting a depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and (4) as parent or legal guardian, knowingly permit a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct knowing that a visual depiction of such conduct will be produced or transmitted.
The bill removes the "purpose" requirement for certain offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children occurring outside of the United States or within its territories or possessions.
No criminal charges related to transmitting a live visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct may be brought against an electronic communication service provider or remote computing service provider unless such provider has intentionally transmitted the visual depiction with actual knowledge of its content.
(Sec. 3) Subject to certain exceptions, a civil claim or criminal charge against an electronic communication service provider, a remote computing service provider, or domain name registrar arising from the response to a search warrant or other legal process under various federal laws relating to sexual exploitation and other abuse of children may not be brought in any federal or state court.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on May 25, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 5, 2017: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Mike Johnson (R-LA) introduced it on March 28, 2017, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 6 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 28, 2017, 3501 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3432 days ago, on June 5, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers