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S. 516 119th Congress Senate

SHIELD Act of 2023

Official title: A bill to provide that it is unlawful to knowingly distribute private intimate visual depictions with reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent t… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill 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.

Introduced: February 11, 2025 Introduced by: Amy Klobuchar Democratic · Minnesota See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Civil actions and liabilityCrimes against childrenCriminal procedure and sentencingDomestic violence and child abuse
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Internet, web applications, social mediaPornographySex offensesTelephone and wireless communication
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 11, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 11, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now February 11, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2025 or the SHIELD Act of 2023 [sic]

This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses related to the distribution of sexual exploitative content. 

First, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) an intimate visual depiction of a recognizable adult engaged in sexual conduct. To constitute a crime, certain elements must be met, including that the distribution must be nonconsensual; the depiction is not a matter of public concern; and the distribution must be intended to cause harm or cause harm. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.

Second, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) a visual depiction of a nude minor with 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 a fine, a prison term of up to three years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 25

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

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 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Republican 1
R
Cornyn, John
Texas · Feb 11, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 516: SHIELD Act of 2023. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-516/
MLA
"S. 516: SHIELD Act of 2023." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-516/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 516, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-516/.
Markdown link
[S. 516: SHIELD Act of 2023](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-516/)
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