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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3397 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3397
To make coercion of children to commit harm a criminal offense, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 9, 2025
Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Cornyn, and
Mr. Graham) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To make coercion of children to commit harm a criminal offense, and for
other purposes.
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 ``Ending Coercion of Children and Harm
Online'' or the ``ECCHO Act''.
SEC. 2. COERCION OF CHILDREN TO COMMIT HARM.
Chapter 110A of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
inserting after section 2261B the following:
``Sec. 2261C. Coercion of children to commit harm
``(a) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
``(1) Coerce.--The term `coerce' includes the use of
extortion, threats, fraud, deceit, duress, intimidation,
harassment, humiliation, degradation, or manipulation.
``(2) Covered act.--The term `covered act' means doxxing,
swatting, or making a false report about an active or imminent
threat.
``(3) Doxxing.--The term `doxxing' means the act of
publishing the personally identifiable information of an
individual for the purpose of harassing or intimidating the
individual.
``(4) Minor.--The term `minor' means any individual who has
not attained the age of 18 years.
``(5) Substantial bodily injury.--The term `substantial
bodily injury' has the meaning given that term in section 113.
``(6) Swatting.--The term `swatting' means the act of
making a false report to emergency services about an individual
for the purpose of causing a special weapons and tactics team
to respond to the location of the individual.
``(b) Offense.--It shall be unlawful for any person, using the mail
or any facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, or within
the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States,
to intentionally coerce a minor, directly or through an intermediary,
to--
``(1)(A) die by suicide or attempt to die by suicide; or
``(B) kill or attempt to kill any individual;
``(2) kill or attempt to kill any, pet, emotional support
animal, service animal, or horse;
``(3) strangle, suffocate, poison, burn, lacerate, or
inflict serious bodily injury or substantial bodily injury on
any individual (including the minor), pet, emotional support
animal, service animal, or horse; or
``(4) commit, or attempt to commit--
``(A) arson; or
``(B) a covered act for which any person can be
charged with a criminal offense.
``(c) Penalty.--Any person who violates, or attempts or conspires
to violate--
``(1) subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (b)(1) shall be
fined under this title, imprisoned for any term of years or
life, or both; or
``(2) paragraph (2), (3), or (4) of subsection (b) shall be
fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 30 years, or
both.''.
SEC. 3. CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 110A of
title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 2261B the following:
``2261C. Coercion of children to commit harm''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Title 18.--
(A) Chapter 110.--Chapter 110 of title 18, United
States Code, is amended--
(i) in section 2252A(g), by inserting
``section 2261C,'' after ``section 1591,''; and
(ii) in section 2258A--
(I) in subsection (a)--
(aa) in paragraph (1)(A),
by striking ``online child
sexual exploitation and to
prevent the online sexual
exploitation of children'' and
inserting ``, and to prevent,
online child sexual
exploitation and online
coercion of children''; and
(bb) in paragraph (2)(A)--
(AA) by striking
``or 2260 that involves
child pornography,''
and inserting ``2260,
2261C, or 2422(b),
or''; and
(BB) by striking
``, or of 2422(b)'';
(II) in subsection (b), in the
matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``sexual'' and inserting
``online'';
(III) in subsection (c)--
(aa) in paragraph (1), by
striking ``, kidnapping or
enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children'';
(bb) in paragraph (2), by
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children''
after ``sexual exploitation'';
and
(cc) in paragraph (3), by
striking ``, kidnapping or
enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children'';
(IV) in subsection
(d)(5)(A)(ii)(II), by striking ``,
kidnapping, or enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping, online
coercion, or enticement crimes
involving children'';
(V) in subsection (g)(3)--
(aa) in subparagraph (A),
by striking ``, kidnapping, or
enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children'';
(bb) in subparagraph (B),
by striking ``, kidnapping, or
enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children'';
and
(cc) in subparagraph (C),
by striking ``, kidnapping, or
enticement crimes'' and
inserting ``or kidnapping,
online coercion, or enticement
crimes involving children'';
and
(VI) in subsection (h)(5), by
striking ``the proliferation of online
child sexual exploitation or preventing
the online sexual exploitation of
children'' and inserting ``or
preventing the proliferation of online
child sexual exploitation or online
coercion of children''.
(B) Section 3509.--Section 3509(a)(2)(A) of title
18, United States Code, is amended by striking
``physical abuse, sexual abuse, or exploitation'' and
inserting ``child abuse''.
(C) Section 5032.--Section 5032 of title 18, United
States Code--
(i) in the first undesignated paragraph--
(I) by striking ``or section
1002(a)'' and inserting ``section
1002(a)''; and
(II) by striking ``section 922(x)
or section 924(b), (g), or (h) of this
title'' and inserting ``or section
922(x), section 924(b), (g), or (h), or
section 2261C of this title''; and
(ii) in the fourth undesignated paragraph,
by striking ``section 922(x) of this title, or
in section 924(b), (g), or (h) of this title''
and inserting ``section 922(x), section 924(b),
(g), or (h), or section 2261C of this title''.
(2) PROTECT our children act of 2008.--Section 2 of the
PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 (34 U.S.C. 21101) is amended
by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
``(1) Child exploitation.--The term `child exploitation'
means--
``(A) any conduct, attempted conduct, or conspiracy
to engage in conduct that--
``(i) violates chapter 110 or section
2261C, 2422(b), or 2423 of title 18; or
``(ii) involves a minor and violates
section 1591 or chapter 109A of title 18; or
``(B) any sexual activity involving a minor for
which any person can be charged with a criminal
offense.''.
SEC. 4. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the
application of such a provision or amendment to any person or
circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remaining provisions
of and amendments made by this Act, and the application of the
provision or amendment held to be unconstitutional to any other person
or circumstance, shall not be affected thereby.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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