The record

LegislationLegislation· Mar 2026
HR 6719 Passed House — in Senate

Sponsored by Laurel M. Lee (R)

James T. Woods Act

Criminalizes sextortion threats and expands penalties for child sexual abuse material offenses.

Tradeoff

Establishes new federal crimes for threatening to distribute child sexual abuse material to coerce minors. No offsetting cuts or revenue provisions noted.

What's in it

See official bill text

Requires $60 million in federal spending over 2026-2031 for criminal justice enforcement and child safety reporting infrastructure.

The $60 million is the federal cost to enforce new criminal offenses and manage expanded reporting requirements — the bulk of the policy's real impact falls on internet service providers, social media companies, and municipal broadband providers, which must now report suspected child exploitation to federal authorities.

H.R. 6719, James T. Woods Act · Jul 2026

Passed the House by on January 12, 2026 — sitting in the Senate.

  1. House

    Introduced

    (Dec 15, 2025)

  2. House

    Committee on the Judiciary(Dec 15, 2025)

  3. House

    The committee voted to send it to the floor

    Reported by (Dec 18, 2025)

  4. House

    Passage of the bill

    Passed by (Jan 12, 2026)

    No individual votes were recorded.

  5. Senate

    Received from the House

    on the Judiciary(Jan 13, 2026)

  6. Senate

    The Committee on the Judiciary voted to send it to the floor

    Reported(Feb 26, 2026)