Delaware · House Bill 166 · 153rd General Assembly

Child Sexual Abuse Material/Correct Terminology

  1. Introduced May 15, 2025
  2. In committee May 15, 2025
  3. Passed the House Jun 25, 2025
  4. Passed the Senate Jun 18, 2026
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law Jun 24, 2026

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

This Act changes the term “child pornography” to “child sexual abuse material”. There has been a growing national movement to ensure the correct terminology is used when identifying victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Child sexual abuse material is the correct and widely accepted terminology for pornographic material depicting a child. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, child sexual abuse…

Read the full title (149 words)

This Act changes the term “child pornography” to “child sexual abuse material”. There has been a growing national movement to ensure the correct terminology is used when identifying victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Child sexual abuse material is the correct and widely accepted terminology for pornographic material depicting a child. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, child sexual abuse material is the preferred term because “it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.” In 2016, an international working group, comprising a collection of countries and international organizations working to combat child exploitation, formally recognized ‘child sexual abuse material’ as the preferred term. This proposed change is supported by the Office of the Child Advocate, Delaware State Police, and the Department of Justice, as well as national organizations like the National Center Against Sexual Exploitation.

Every action

7 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House · House Judiciary
  2. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 10 On Its Merits · House Judiciary
  3. HousePassed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT39–0 vote
  4. CommitteeAssigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate · Senate Judiciary
  5. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits · Senate Judiciary
  6. SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT20–0 vote
  7. GovernorSigned by Governor

Roll calls

2 recorded votes: 2 on the floor, 0 in committee. Each shows how every member voted.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 13 cosponsors: 7 Republicans, 6 Democrats.

All 13 cosponsors

From Delaware's official records (legis.delaware.gov), checked Nov 1, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.