SHIELD Act of 2023
Latest action · May 25, 2023 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
- IntroducedMay 25, 2023
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2023 or the SHIELD Act of 2023
This bill establishes a new criminal offense related to the distribution of intimate visual depictions.
Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or attempt or threaten to distribute)
- an intimate visual depiction of an individual with knowledge of the individual's lack of consent, where what is depicted was not voluntarily exposed by the individual in a public or commercial setting, and where what is depicted is not a matter of public concern; or
- a visual depiction of a nude minor with the intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade the minor or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.
A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both—and mandatory restitution. Violators must also forfeit any material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 25, 2023 to Oct 18, 2024; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | May 25, 2023 |
| R-SC | Nancy Mace | Original | May 25, 2023 |
| D-VI | Stacey E. Plaskett | Original | May 25, 2023 |
| D-TX | Colin Z. Allred | Jul 12, 2023 | |
| R-CA | Kevin Kiley | Oct 24, 2023 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Oct 24, 2023 | |
| R-IA | Zachary Nunn | Oct 24, 2023 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. | Mar 22, 2024 | |
| R-FL | Carlos A. Gimenez | Apr 23, 2024 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Apr 23, 2024 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | May 6, 2024 | |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Jul 2, 2024 | |
| R-TX | Nathaniel Moran | Jul 2, 2024 | |
| R-TX | Troy E. Nehls | Sep 3, 2024 | |
| D-MD | Glenn Ivey | Sep 20, 2024 | |
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | Sep 24, 2024 | |
| D-NC | Donald G. Davis | Oct 18, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 25, 2023 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 25, 2023Introduced in House
- May 25, 2023Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5530 | Madeleine Dean D-PA | Sep 20, 2024 |
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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 89, May 25, 2023, page H2640.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 118-42 | CHILDREN ARE NOT FOR SALE: EXAMINING THE EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD99 pages | Judiciary Committee | Sep 13, 2023 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 412 | SHIELD Act of 2023 | Related bill | Jul 15, 2024 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- 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 2023
- Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2023
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 25, 2023Introduced in House
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.
