118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4708 

AN ACT 

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, 
2 

†S 4708 ES

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Exploitation Enforcement Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. KIDNAPPING; SEXUAL ABUSE; ILLICIT SEXUAL CON5 DUCT WITH RESPECT TO MINORS. 

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

7 Code, is amended— 

8 (1) in section 1201— 

9 (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre10 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘obtains by 

11 defrauding or deceiving any person,’’ after ‘‘ab12 ducts,’’; 

13 (B) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘ob14 tained by defrauding or deceiving any person,’’ 

15 after ‘‘abducted,’’; and 

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

17 the following: 

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

19 this subsection involving a victim who has not at20 tained the age of 16 years, it is not a defense that 

21 the victim consented to the conduct of the offender, 

22 unless the offender can establish by a preponderance 

23 of the evidence that the offender reasonably believed 

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

25 (2) in chapter 109A— 
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1 (A) in section 2241(c), by striking ‘‘crosses 

2 a State line’’ and inserting ‘‘travels in inter3 state or foreign commerce’’; 

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

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

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

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(f) INTENTIONAL TOUCHING INVOLVING INDIVID9 UALS UNDER THE AGE OF 16.— 

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

11 special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the 

12 United States or in a Federal prison, or in any pris13 on, institution, or facility in which persons are held 

14 in custody by direction of or pursuant to a contract 

15 or agreement with the head of any Federal depart16 ment or agency, to knowingly cause the intentional 

17 touching, not through the clothing, of the genitalia 

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

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

20 harass, degrade, or arouse or gratify the sexual de21 sire of any person, or attempt to do so, if to do so 

22 would violate subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this sec23 tion, section 2241, or section 2242 had such inten24 tional touching been a sexual act. 
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1 ‘‘(2) PENALTY.—Any person who violates para2 graph (1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned 

3 as provided in the applicable provision of law de4 scribed in that paragraph, or both.’’; and 

5 (D) in section 2244— 

6 (i) in subsection (a)— 

7 (I) by redesignating paragraphs 

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

9 through (F), respectively, and adjust10 ing the margins accordingly; 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘Whoever’’ and 

12 inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whoever’’; 

14 (III) in paragraph (1), as so des15 ignated— 

16 (aa) in the matter preceding 

17 subparagraph (A), as so redesig18 nated, by striking ‘‘if so to do’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘if to do so’’; 

20 (bb) in subparagraph (A), as 

21 so redesignated, by striking 

22 ‘‘ten’’ and inserting ‘‘10’’; 

23 (cc) in subparagraph (B), as 

24 so redesignated, by striking 

25 ‘‘three’’ and inserting ‘‘3’’; 
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1 (dd) in subparagraph (C), as 

2 so redesignated, by striking 

3 ‘‘two’’ and inserting ‘‘2’’; 

4 (ee) in subparagraph (D), as 

5 so redesignated, by striking 

6 ‘‘two’’ and inserting ‘‘2’’; and 

7 (ff) in subparagraph (F), as 

8 so redesignated, by striking the 

9 semicolon at the end and insert10 ing a period; and 

11 (IV) by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

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

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

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

16 (ii) in subsection (b)— 

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

18 ‘‘engages in’’; 

19 (II) by inserting ‘‘or by’’ after 

20 ‘‘sexual contact with’’; 

21 (III) by inserting ‘‘, or attempts 

22 to do so,’’ after ‘‘other person’s per23 mission’’; and 

24 (IV) by striking ‘‘two’’ and in25 serting ‘‘2’’; and 
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1 (iii) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘If 

2 the sexual contact that violates this section 

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

4 individual’’ and inserting ‘‘If the sexual 

5 contact or attempted sexual contact that a 

6 person engages in or causes in violation of 

7 this section (other than subsection 

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

9 and 

10 (3) in section 2423(g)(1)— 

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

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

13 involving’’; and 

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

15 inserting ‘‘conduct occurred’’. 

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

17 2241(c) of title 18, United States Code, made by sub18 section (a) shall apply to conduct that occurred before, on, 

19 or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

20 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO ABU21 SIVE SEXUAL CONTACT. 

22 (a) PENALTIES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS OFFENSES IN23 VOLVING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.—Section 250(b) of title 

24 18, United States Code, is amended— 
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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘section 

2 2244(a)(5),’’ and inserting ‘‘section 2244(a)(1)(E), 

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 2244(a)(1)(A), an attempt to engage in or cause 

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

11 abusive sexual contact of the type prohibited by sec12 tion 2244(b), but excluding abusive sexual contact 

13 through the clothing or an attempt to engage in or 

14 cause such contact’’; 

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

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

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

18 to engage in or cause such contact as prohibited by 

19 section 2244(a)(2)’’; and 

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

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

22 (a)(4), or (b) of section 2244’’ and inserting ‘‘sub23 paragraph (C) or (D) of section 2244(a)(1), an at24 tempt to engage in or cause such contact as prohib-
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1 ited by section 2244(a)(2), or abusive sexual contact 

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

3 (b) SENTENCING CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENSES.— 

4 Section 3559 of title 18, United States Code, is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in subsection (c)(2)(F)(i), by striking ‘‘sec7 tions 2244(a)(1) and (a)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub8 paragraphs (A) and (B) of section 2244(a)(1)’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘2244(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘2244(a)(1)(A)’’. 

Passed the Senate November 21, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4708 

AN ACT 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to modify 

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