II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4708 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to modify provisions relating to 

kidnapping, sexual abuse, and illicit sexual conduct with respect to minors. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 11 (legislative day, JULY 10), 2024 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to modify provisions 

relating to kidnapping, sexual abuse, and illicit sexual 

conduct with respect to minors. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Child 

5 Exploitation Enforcement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. KIDNAPPING; SEXUAL ABUSE; ILLICIT SEXUAL CON7 DUCT WITH RESPECT TO MINORS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part I of title 18, United States 

9 Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in section 1201— 


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1 (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre2 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘obtains by 

3 defrauding or deceiving any person,’’ after ‘‘ab4 ducts,’’; 

5 (B) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘ob6 tained by defrauding or deceiving any person,’’ 

7 after ‘‘abducted,’’; and 

8 (C) in subsection (g), by adding at the end 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(2) DEFENSE.—For an offense described in 

11 this subsection involving a victim who has not at12 tained the age of 16 years, it is not a defense that 

13 the victim consented to the conduct of the offender, 

14 unless the offender can establish by a preponderance 

15 of the evidence that the offender reasonably believed 

16 that the victim had attained the age of 16 years.’’; 

17 (2) in chapter 109A— 

18 (A) in section 2241(c), by striking ‘‘crosses 

19 a State line’’ and inserting ‘‘travels in inter20 state or foreign commerce’’; 

21 (B) in section 2242(3), by striking ‘‘, to 

22 include doing so’’ and inserting ‘‘or’’; 

23 (C) in section 2243, by adding at the end 

24 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(f) INTENTIONAL TOUCHING INVOLVING INDIVID2 UALS UNDER THE AGE OF 16.— 

3 ‘‘(1) OFFENSE.—It shall be unlawful, in the 

4 special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the 

5 United States or in a Federal prison, or in any pris6 on, institution, or facility in which persons are held 

7 in custody by direction of or pursuant to a contract 

8 or agreement with the head of any Federal depart9 ment or agency, to knowingly cause the intentional 

10 touching, not through the clothing, of the genitalia 

11 of any person by a person who has not attained the 

12 age of 16 years, with an intent to abuse, humiliate, 

13 harass, degrade, or arouse or gratify the sexual de14 sire of any person, or attempt to do so, if to do so 

15 would violate subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this sec16 tion, section 2241, or section 2242 had such inten17 tional touching been a sexual act. 

18 ‘‘(2) PENALTY.—Any person who violates para19 graph (1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned 

20 as provided in the applicable provision of law de21 scribed in that paragraph, or both.’’; and 

22 (D) in section 2244— 

23 (i) in subsection (a)— 

24 (I) by redesignating paragraphs 

25 (1) through (6) as subparagraphs (A) 


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1 through (F), respectively, and adjust2 ing the margins accordingly; 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘Whoever’’ and 

4 inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whoever’’; 

6 (III) in paragraph (1), as so des7 ignated— 

8 (aa) in the matter preceding 

9 subparagraph (A), as so redesig10 nated, by striking ‘‘if so to do’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘if to do so’’; 

12 (bb) in subparagraph (A), as 

13 so redesignated, by striking 

14 ‘‘ten’’ and inserting ‘‘10’’; 

15 (cc) in subparagraph (B), as 

16 so redesignated, by striking 

17 ‘‘three’’ and inserting ‘‘3’’; 

18 (dd) in subparagraph (C), as 

19 so redesignated, by striking 

20 ‘‘two’’ and inserting ‘‘2’’; 

21 (ee) in subparagraph (D), as 

22 so redesignated, by striking 

23 ‘‘two’’ and inserting ‘‘2’’; and 

24 (ff) in subparagraph (F), as 

25 so redesignated, by striking the 


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1 semicolon at the end and insert2 ing a period; and 

3 (IV) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(2) ATTEMPT.—Whoever attempts to commit 

6 an offense under paragraph (1) shall be subject to 

7 the same penalty as for a completed offense.’’; 

8 (ii) in subsection (b)— 

9 (I) by inserting ‘‘or causes’’ after 

10 ‘‘engages in’’; 

11 (II) by inserting ‘‘or by’’ after 

12 ‘‘sexual contact with’’; 

13 (III) by inserting ‘‘, or attempts 

14 to do so,’’ after ‘‘other person’s per15 mission’’; and 

16 (IV) by striking ‘‘two’’ and in17 serting ‘‘2’’; and 

18 (iii) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘If 

19 the sexual contact that violates this section 

20 (other than subsection (a)(5)) is with an 

21 individual’’ and inserting ‘‘If the sexual 

22 contact or attempted sexual contact that a 

23 person engages in or causes in violation of 

24 this section (other than subsection 


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1 (a)(1)(E)) is with or by an individual’’; 

2 and 

3 (3) in section 2423(f)(1)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘a sexual act (as defined in 

5 section 2246) with’’ and inserting ‘‘any conduct 

6 involving’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘sexual act occurred’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘conduct occurred’’. 

9 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment to section 

10 2241(c) of title 18, United States Code, made by sub11 section (a) shall apply to conduct that occurred before, on, 

12 or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

13 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO ABU14 SIVE SEXUAL CONTACT. 

15 (a) PENALTIES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS OFFENSES IN16 VOLVING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.—Section 250(b) of title 

17 18, United States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘section 

19 2244(a)(5),’’ and inserting ‘‘section 2244(a)(1)(E), 

20 or an attempt to engage in or cause such contact as 

21 prohibited by section 2244(a)(2),’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (4), in the matter preceding 

23 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘subsection (a)(1) or 

24 (b) of section 2244, but excluding abusive sexual 

25 contact through the clothing’’ and inserting ‘‘section 


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1 2244(a)(1)(A), an attempt to engage in or cause 

2 such contact as prohibited by section 2244(a)(2), or 

3 abusive sexual contact of the type prohibited by sec4 tion 2244(b), but excluding abusive sexual contact 

5 through the clothing or an attempt to engage in or 

6 cause such contact’’; 

7 (3) in paragraph (5), in the matter preceding 

8 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘section 2244(a)(2)’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘section 2244(a)(1)(B) or an attempt 

10 to engage in or cause such contact as prohibited by 

11 section 2244(a)(2)’’; and 

12 (4) in paragraph (6), in the matter preceding 

13 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘subsection (a)(3), 

14 (a)(4), or (b) of section 2244’’ and inserting ‘‘sub15 paragraph (C) or (D) of section 2244(a)(1), an at16 tempt to engage in or cause such contact as prohib17 ited by section 2244(a)(2), or abusive sexual contact 

18 of the type prohibited by section 2244(b)’’. 

19 (b) SENTENCING CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENSES.— 

20 Section 3559 of title 18, United States Code, is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) in subsection (c)(2)(F)(i), by striking ‘‘sec23 tions 2244(a)(1) and (a)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub24 paragraphs (A) and (B) of section 2244(a)(1)’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking 

2 ‘‘2244(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘2244(a)(1)(A)’’. 

Æ 


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