Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
Latest action · Jun 3, 2008 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedAug 2, 2007
- Passed SenateMay 22, 2008
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act - Title I: Promoting a Safe Internet for Children - (Sec. 101) Declares that the issue of Internet safety includes issues regarding the use of the Internet in a manner that promotes safe online activity for children, protects children from cybercrimes, including crimes by online predators, and helps parents shield their children from material that is inappropriate for minors.
(Sec. 102) Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to carry out a nationwide program to increase public awareness and provide education on strategies to promote the safe use of the Internet by children.
(Sec. 103) Requires the FTC to submit annual reports (by March 31) to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the activities of its public awareness campaign.
(Sec. 104) Directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an Online Safety and Technology working group to review and evaluate: (1) the status of industry efforts to promote online safety for children; (2) the recordkeeping practices of electronic communications and remote computing service providers in connection with crimes against children; and (3) the development of technologies to help parents protect their children from inappropriate material on the Internet.
Requires the working group to report to the Assistant Secretary and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on its findings. Renders the Federal Advisory Committee Act inapplicable to the working group.
(Sec. 105) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require elementary and secondary schools with computer access to the Internet to educate minors about appropriate online behavior, including online interaction with other individuals in social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response.
Title II: Enhancing Child Pornography Enforcement - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to impose a forfeiture penalty on Internet service providers who violate requirements of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to report online child pornography.
Cosponsors 20
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Aug 2, 2007 to Jan 22, 2008; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Original | Aug 2, 2007 |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Inouye | Original | Aug 2, 2007 |
| R-TX | Kay Bailey Hutchison | Original | Aug 2, 2007 |
| D-AR | Mark L. Pryor | Original | Aug 2, 2007 |
| D-WV | John D. Rockefeller IV | Aug 3, 2007 | |
| R-MO | Christopher S. Bond | Sep 19, 2007 | |
| R-SD | John Thune | Sep 24, 2007 | |
| R-LA | David Vitter | Sep 25, 2007 | |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Sep 27, 2007 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Sep 27, 2007 | |
| R-ME | Olympia J. Snowe | Sep 27, 2007 | |
| R-MS | Thad Cochran | Sep 27, 2007 | |
| R-NE | Chuck Hagel | Oct 2, 2007 | |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Oct 15, 2007 | |
| R-OR | Gordon H. Smith | Nov 7, 2007 | |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Nov 8, 2007 | |
| R-MN | Norm Coleman | Nov 15, 2007 | |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | Nov 15, 2007 | |
| D-AR | Blanche L. Lincoln | Dec 3, 2007 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Jan 22, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Aug 3, 2007Markup Sep 27, 2007Reported Dec 12, 2007 |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jun 3, 2008 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 3, 2008Received in the House.
- Jun 3, 2008Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- May 23, 2008Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 22, 2008Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S4837-4839; text of measure as reported in Senate: CR S4837-4838)
- May 22, 2008Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S4839)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4837, S4838Text printed S4837, S4839Amendments S4836, S4839 | Harry Reid D-NV, Ted Stevens R-AK (amendment) | May 22, 2008 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Oct 18, 2007S. 1965, Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on September 27, 2007</p>
- Oct 18, 2007S. 1965, Protecting Children in the 21st Century ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on September 27, 2007
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 4819 | To strike the authorization of appropriations and the additional child pornography amendments. | Ted Stevens R-AK | Amendment SA 4819 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 49 | Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act | Related bill | Jan 4, 2007 |
| S 1492 | Broadband Data Improvement Act | Related bill | Oct 10, 2008 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to protect children from cybercrimes, including crimes by online predators, to enhance efforts to identify and eliminate child pornography, and to help parents shield their children from material that is inappropriate for minors.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Families.
- Child pornography
- Child safety
- Commerce
- Computer crimes
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Consumer education
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal justice information
- Education
- Elementary and secondary education
- Families
- Federal advisory bodies
- Fines (Penalties)
- Forfeiture
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Informers
- Internet
- Law
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Technological innovations
- Web sites
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 22, 2008Engrossed in Senate
- Dec 12, 2007Reported to Senate
- Aug 2, 2007Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
