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HR 6719 Advanced toward a vote

Makes it a federal crime to coerce a minor into suicide, killing, or serious injury, and to threaten to share child sexual abuse material to intimidate or extort, while directing the U.S. Sentencing Commission to revise penalties for online child sex offenses.

Official title: James T. Woods Act

Next stop Senate floor: awaiting a vote
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced 15-DEC-2025
Referred 15-DEC-2025
Approved by committee 18-DEC-2025
Passed 12-JAN-2026
Senate
Received 13-JAN-2026
Approved by committee 26-FEB-2026
Reported 02-MAR-2026
On the calendar 02-MAR-2026
Key points
  • Prohibits intentionally coercing a minor, directly or through an intermediary, to die by suicide, kill someone, or seriously harm people or pets, with penalties of up to life imprisonment or 30 years.
  • Prohibits threatening to distribute child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress, and adds 10 years to the maximum prison term for related offenses.
  • Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review federal sentencing guidelines for child sex offenses, including factors such as use of three or more online platforms and a victim's death by suicide.
  • Amends existing federal law, including the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, to add online coercion of children to the child exploitation reporting and enforcement framework.
AI-generated from the Reported to Senate text of 02-MAR-2026 · verify · report an error
Official CRS summary

Current. The Congressional Research Service's summary covers the bill's latest wording (Reported to Senate, 02-MAR-2026).

CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov
Committee referrals (2) Policy area

Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor Laurel M. Lee (R-FL) Cosponsors · 2
■ 1 R■ 1 D
1 Democrat
1 Republican