[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H628-H630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMBATING ONLINE PREDATORS ACT
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 6719) to prohibit threats to a minor, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6719
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Combating Online Predators
Act'' or the ``COP Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING THREATS TO A MINOR.
(a) Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.--
Section 2252A of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ``illegal; or'' and
inserting ``illegal;'';
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) knowingly distributes, offers, sends, or provides, in
or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a threat to
distribute--
``(A) a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually
explicit conduct, or
``(B) a visual depiction of a person the defendant believes
is a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,
with the intent that the minor, or the person the defendant
believes is a minor, create or transmit a visual depiction of
any minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``or (6)'' and inserting
``(6), or (8)''.
(b) Material Constituting or Containing Child
Pornography.--Section 2252 of title 18, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(B) in paragraph (4)(B)(ii), by inserting ``or'' after the
semicolon; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) knowingly distributes, offers, sends, or provides, in
or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a threat to
distribute--
``(A) a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually
explicit conduct, or
``(B) a visual depiction of a person the defendant believes
is a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,
with the intent that the minor, or the person the defendant
believes is a minor, create or transmit a visual depiction of
sexually explicit conduct,'';
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ``or (5)'' after
``paragraph (4)''; and
(3) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by inserting ``or (5)'' after ``paragraph (4)''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
[[Page H629]]
General Leave
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6719.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, as we recognize January as National Human Trafficking
Prevention Month, I am proud of all the work the House Judiciary
Committee has done and continues to do to protect children and our most
vulnerable populations.
In the 118th Congress, the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal
Government Surveillance held two hearings focused on human trafficking,
child protection, and the identification of victims. Through those
important hearings, my legislation, the REPORT Act, which strengthened
requirements for online service providers to report crimes involving
child sex abuse material to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, was signed into law. I applaud Chairman Biggs for
beginning the 119th Congress with our first subcommittee hearing once
again focused on protecting victims of online exploitation.
Our work is far from over, which is why I look forward to passing the
Combating Online Predators Act today.
Mr. Speaker, the rise of sextortion against our Nation's children is
troubling. Sextortion is a form of exploitation that occurs when
someone threatens to distribute another person's private, sensitive
material unless that person complies with a demand for additional
sexual content, sexual favors, or money.
Incidents of sextortion have increased dramatically in recent years.
Cases reported in the United States increased from 13,842 in the first
half of 2024 to 23,593 in the same period in 2025. This rapid growth is
disturbing, and it is unacceptable.
Children are especially vulnerable to falling victim to sextortion,
with boys aged 14 to 17 most often being targeted. Tragically, this
exploitation has led some young people to take their own lives in an
attempt to prevent their images from being shared with friends or
family.
Through this horrendous conduct, we have lost beautiful young lives,
including Gavin Guffey from South Carolina, Bryce Tate from West
Virginia, and many other children. I have also met with parents,
including a mother from my home State of Florida, who shared the
heartbreaking story of her son who fell victim to sextortion and later
took his life.
Each of these precious lives was taken too soon, and today, we honor
and remember them. Yet, under current law, law enforcement is not fully
equipped with the tools necessary to prosecute those who push children
into these acts. Sextortion falls outside of the CSAM statute, forcing
Federal prosecutors to rely on a patchwork of charging theories that do
not fully reflect the gravity of these crimes. The absence of a
specific Federal statute prohibiting sextortion leads to inconsistent
and inadequate sentencing that can fail to capture the seriousness of
this offense.
A legislative fix is, therefore, necessary to ensure Federal
prosecutors can charge this conduct directly and fight sextortion
effectively.
Congress has a duty to protect children from online exploitation and
ensure predators are held fully accountable. The Combating Online
Predators Act does exactly that by amending the United States Criminal
Code to criminalize intentional threats to distribute child sex abuse
material.
No child should ever encounter these threats online, and no child
should ever feel that the only way out is to end their own life.
Predators must be stopped, and today, Congress continues its work. By
passing the Combating Online Predators Act, we strengthen our laws,
close a dangerous gap, and send a clear message to predators everywhere
that this conduct will not be tolerated.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1600
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6719, the Combating Online
Predators Act, and I echo my distinguished colleague in noting that
sextortion is a serious and rising threat faced by countless
unsuspecting teens all over America when they use the internet and
social media.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC,
operates a Cyber Tip Line to receive reports of suspected child
exploitation. The Cyber Tip Line has received many more reports of
sextortion of minors in recent years, amounting to tens of thousands of
potential victims. These crimes have deadly consequences.
NCMEC has identified 36 teens who took their own lives after being
subjected to harsh and incessant harassment from callous perpetrators
of sextortion. The problem is everywhere.
Last May, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland
announced the guilty plea of a man who had coerced at least 108
different girls to send him pictures and videos of themselves engaged
in sexual conduct. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 17 years old and
lived all over the U.S. and even around the world, from Tennessee and
Massachusetts to Australia and the United Kingdom.
When the man asked for access to the social media account of an 11-
year-old, he wrote: ``Add me back or I'll post all your vids online and
in servers. I have everything saved.''
When some victims said they did not want to send him any more images,
he threatened to post the images online, come to their house, or tell
their parents. The man victimized a 12-year-old, her friend, and her 5-
year-old sister through Snapchat.
Investigators obtained an IP address linked to the Snapchat account,
which eventually led them to the perpetrator's house, where they
recovered a laptop, two hard drives, and four iPhones containing
evidence of the coercive treatment of more than 100 different girls. In
this case, the man pled guilty to an existing crime of producing child
sex abuse material.
Prosecutors have said the existing statutes do not always fully
address the scope or severity of the conduct involved in these terrible
cases. This bill would close that gap and ensure that more of these
criminals are held accountable.
I hope we continue to work with our colleagues in a bipartisan way to
strengthen and improve our laws to address these new and dangerous
crimes and to keep our children safe online.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R. 6719,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Arizona (Mr. Biggs), the subcommittee chairman.
Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
leadership on this issue. I thank all the members of our Subcommittee
on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, both Republicans and
Democrats, for working together on these very important issues.
Mr. Speaker, sextortion has become a devastating crisis. Predators
threaten to release explicit images of minors to extort money, more
content, or compliance, preying on shame and fear.
Protecting children from online sexual exploitation remains a top
priority for our Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government
Surveillance in this Congress.
Offenders, often overseas or even juveniles, groom victims and then
weaponize images or AI-generated deepfakes pulled from public photos to
demand payment or further abuse. This drives severe trauma, self-harm,
and suicide.
More than three dozen teens have taken their lives in recent cases,
with boys aged 14 to 17 hit hardest. Reports of these horrible crimes
are surging. NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, reports that financial sextortion cases jumped from over
13,800 in early 2024 to nearly 24,000 in early 2025. The FBI logged
nearly 55,000 sextortion reports in 2024 alone, with $33 million in
losses.
I commend the FBI for its investigations and public alerts. Current
law, 18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A, does not explicitly cover threats to
distribute child
[[Page H630]]
sexual abuse material or images believed to be of minors. That gap
limits prosecution.
The Combating Online Predators Act closes that gap by criminalizing
knowing threats to distribute these depictions with intent to coerce or
extort. This is a targeted bipartisan fix that gives prosecutors the
tools they need to stop these predators and protect our kids.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill. I hope that this bill
passes out of the House today and swiftly passes out of the Senate to
be signed by the President.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).
Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the internet is
increasingly becoming a hostile place for children. The practice of
sextortion is becoming far too common. As many as one in five teenagers
report experiencing sextortion.
That is why I rise in support of the Combating Online Predators Act,
which takes decisive action against the practice of sextortion.
This bill updates current child sexual abuse material laws to ensure
that sextortion is included so that no minor can be threatened with the
release of explicit content that depicts them.
As bad actors use the internet to harm kids, Congress must ensure our
laws are updated to protect them. Those who seek to threaten our youth
through sextortion must be held accountable, and this bill ensures they
will.
Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to my colleague, Representative Lee,
for leading this effort to protect children from this harmful practice.
I am pleased with the widespread and bipartisan support for it, and I
urge my colleagues to support the Combating Online Predators Act.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, to close, I strongly support H.R. 6719, the
Combating Online Predators Act. I encourage all of our colleagues to
support it, and I praise the gentlewoman for her leadership on this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their thoughtful debate and
for their support on this important issue. This legislation addresses a
clear and dangerous gap in Federal law that predators have exploited to
harm children online.
By explicitly criminalizing threats to distribute child sex abuse
material, Congress ensures these heinous acts are prosecuted with the
seriousness that they deserve. This legislation reflects the bipartisan
recognition that protecting children from exploitation is a shared
responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, it provides law enforcement with the clarity,
consistency, and tools necessary to hold offenders accountable and
prevent future harm.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to pass
H.R. 6719, the Combating Online Predators Act, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Wied). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6719, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________