HR 6998 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

SHIELD Act of 2022

Introduced Mar 8, 2022 Originated House Sponsor Jackie Speier D-CA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

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.

  1. IntroducedMar 8, 2022
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2022 or the SHIELD Act of 2022

This bill establishes a new criminal offense related to the distribution of intimate visual depictions.

Specifically, it makes it a crime to knowingly distribute (or intentionally threaten to distribute) an intimate visual depiction of an individual (1) with knowledge of or reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent and reasonable expectation of privacy, and (2) without a reasonable belief that distributing the depiction touches a matter of public concern.

A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years for each individual victim depicted, or both.

Cosponsors 68

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 8, 2022 to Mar 15, 2022; 66 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CAAdam B. SchiffOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-INAndré CarsonOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NHAnn M. KusterOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAAnna G. EshooOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MAAyanna PressleyOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MNBetty McCollumOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ILBill FosterOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NJBonnie Watson ColemanOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MIBrenda L. LawrenceOriginalMar 8, 2022
R-PABrian K. FitzpatrickOriginalMar 8, 2022
R-FLCarlos A. GimenezOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NYCarolyn B. MaloneyOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MEChellie PingreeOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ILCheri BustosOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-PAChrissy HoulahanOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-TXColin Z. AllredOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-IACynthia AxneOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ILDanny K. DavisOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-FLDarren SotoOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NCDavid E. PriceOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MIDebbie DingellOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-WADerek KilmerOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-OREarl BlumenauerOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MOEmanuel CleaverOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAEric SwalwellOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NYGrace MengOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NYGregory W. MeeksOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-WIGwen MooreOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MIHaley M. StevensOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MNIlhan OmarOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MDJamie RaskinOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ILJesús G. "Chuy" GarcíaOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-TNJim CooperOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAJim CostaOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAJimmy PanettaOriginalMar 8, 2022
R-NYJohn KatkoOriginalMar 8, 2022
R-TXJohn R. CarterOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NJJosh GottheimerOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAJulia BrownleyOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-FLKathy CastorOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAKatie PorterOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-FLLois FrankelOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-PAMadeleine DeanOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-PAMary Gay ScanlonOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAMike ThompsonOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NYMondaire JonesOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CANanette Diaz BarragánOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NYPaul TonkoOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-CAPete AguilarOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-ILSean CastenOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MASeth MoultonOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-FLSheila Cherfilus-McCormickOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-VIStacey E. PlaskettOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-FLStephanie N. MurphyOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MAStephen F. LynchOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-TNSteve CohenOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-WASuzan K. DelBeneOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-TXSylvia R. GarciaOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NJTom MalinowskiOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-AZTom O'HalleranOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-TXVeronica EscobarOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-MAWilliam R. KeatingOriginalMar 8, 2022
D-NCAlma S. AdamsMar 15, 2022
D-NVDina TitusMar 15, 2022

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Mar 8, 2022
Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Referred Nov 1, 2022

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 1, 2022Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
  2. Mar 8, 2022Introduced in House
  3. Mar 8, 2022Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, which gives Congress the power to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 41, March 8, 2022, page H1375.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 1620Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2021Related billMay 24, 2022
HR 2896SHIELD Act of 2019Reintroduction ofJun 26, 2019
S 3777SHIELD Act of 2022Related billMar 8, 2022

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide that it is unlawful to knowingly distribute private intimate visual depictions with reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent to the distribution, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
SHIELD Act of 2022
Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2022

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 8, 2022Introduced in House

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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.