ENFORCE Act
Latest action · Aug 1, 2025 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.
- IntroducedAug 1, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Enhancing Necessary Federal Offenses Regarding Child Exploitation Act or the ENFORCE Act
This bill broadens the scope of prohibited conduct and increases criminal penalties for child pornography offenses involving the production or distribution of an adapted or modified depiction of an identifiable minor. The bill also expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses involving the possession, receipt, distribution, or production of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Aug 1, 2025 to Nov 9, 2026; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Original | Aug 1, 2025 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | Aug 1, 2025 |
| R-KS | Derek Schmidt | Nov 21, 2025 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Dec 15, 2025 | |
| R-NY | Michael Lawler | Jan 20, 2026 | |
| R-NC | Pat Harrigan | Jan 20, 2026 | |
| R-AR | Bruce Westerman | Jan 27, 2026 | |
| R-NY | Nicholas A. Langworthy | Jan 27, 2026 | |
| R-TX | Troy E. Nehls | Jan 27, 2026 | |
| R-CA | Ken Calvert | Feb 4, 2026 | |
| R-IN | Jefferson Shreve | Feb 9, 2026 | |
| R-TX | Roger Williams | Feb 9, 2026 | |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Feb 17, 2026 | |
| R-NE | Adrian Smith | Feb 23, 2026 | |
| R-NC | Mark Harris | Mar 16, 2026 | |
| R-TN | Diana Harshbarger | May 7, 2026 | |
| R-KS | Tracey Mann | Sep 16, 2026 | |
| R-FL | John H. Rutherford | Oct 5, 2026 | |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Nov 9, 2026 |
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 Aug 1, 2025 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 1, 2025Introduced in House
- Aug 1, 2025Referred 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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 133, August 1, 2025, page H3673.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3021 | ENFORCE Act | Identical bill | Dec 17, 2025 |
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 enhance enforcement with respect to material depicting obscene child sexual abuse or constituting child pornography, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- ENFORCE Act
- Enhancing Necessary Federal Offenses Regarding Child Exploitation Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 1, 2025Introduced 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.
