EARN IT Act of 2023
Latest action · May 15, 2023 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 70.
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.
- IntroducedApr 19, 2023
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2023 or the EARN IT Act of 2023
This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children.
The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children.
Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws.
The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material.
Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 19, 2023 to Mar 7, 2024; 20 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-LA | John Kennedy | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-IA | Joni Ernst | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-MO | Josh Hawley | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Original | Apr 19, 2023 |
| R-NE | Pete Ricketts | May 10, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | May 17, 2023 | |
| R-IN | Mike Braun | Oct 31, 2023 | |
| D-AZ | Mark Kelly | Mar 7, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 19, 2023Markup May 4, 2023Reported May 15, 2023 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 15, 2023Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Durbin with amendments. Without written report.
- May 15, 2023Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 70.
- May 4, 2023Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Apr 19, 2023Introduced in Senate
- Apr 19, 2023Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 3
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 S2227–S2232 | Amy Klobuchar D-MN, Chuck Grassley R-IA, Josh Hawley R-MO, Lindsey Graham R-SC, Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Ron Wyden D-OR | Mar 6, 2024 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3455Notices S3500Intention to object to proceeding to S. 1207, Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act: Senator Wyden | Ron Wyden D-OR | Jul 20, 2023 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1699 | Richard J. Durbin D-IL | May 17, 2023 |
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.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Oct 18, 2023S. 1207, EARN IT Act of 2023As reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on May 15, 2023
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R47884 | Identifying Minors Online | Report | Jul 28, 2026 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2732 | EARN IT Act of 2023 | Related bill | Apr 26, 2024 |
| S 3538 | EARN IT Act of 2022 | Reintroduction of | Feb 10, 2022 |
| HR 5182 | Child Online Safety Modernization Act of 2023 | Related bill | Aug 8, 2023 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- EARN IT Act of 2023
- Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2023
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- EARN IT Act of 2023
- Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2023
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Assault and harassment offenses
- Child safety and welfare
- Civil actions and liability
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Crime prevention
- Crime victims
- Crimes against children
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Criminal justice information and records
- Evidence and witnesses
- Government information and archives
- Human trafficking
- Intergovernmental relations
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Pornography
- Sex offenses
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 15, 2023Reported to Senate
- Apr 19, 2023Introduced 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.
