Nonpartisan civic infrastructure
AllCiv·Legis1
·

H.R. 9732

BillFederalHouseIn Committee
To amend title 18, United States Code, to clarify that private, one-on-one communications constitute a notice or advertisement for purposes of the Federal crime of making a notice or advertisement to seek or offer child pornography.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 20, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congress
118th (2023–2025)
Introduced
September 20, 2024
Cosponsors (1)
1D 0R
View PDF ↗

Summary

Highlight any text to annotate
This bill amends federal law to clarify that private, one-on-one communications between individuals constitute legally actionable "notices or advertisements" under existing child exploitation laws. Specifically, it targets criminals who use private messages to solicit or offer child sexual abuse material, closing what supporters view as a legal loophole in how prosecutors can charge predators. The legislation affects federal law enforcement agencies and the court system by expanding the types of communications they can prosecute under existing statutes. The bill contains no new funding or specific implementation timeline, as it simply clarifies the interpretation of existing criminal law rather than creating new agencies or programs. The measure was introduced in September 2024 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

Take Action

Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.