II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2017 

To amend section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 27, 2019 

Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Ms. MCSALLY, 

Mrs. CAPITO, and Mrs. FISCHER) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and 

for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Federal Prohibition 

5 of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Congress has previously prohibited the prac9 tice of female genital mutilation on minors, which 

10 causes physical and psychological harm and is often 


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1 beyond the ability of any single State or jurisdiction 

2 to control. 

3 (2) Individuals who perform the practice of fe4 male genital mutilation on minors rely on a connec5 tion to interstate or foreign commerce, such as inter6 state or foreign travel, the transmission or receipt of 

7 communications in interstate or foreign commerce, 

8 or interstate or foreign payments of any kind in fur9 therance of this conduct. 

10 (3) Amending section 116 of title 18, United 

11 States Code, to specify a link to interstate or foreign 

12 commerce would confirm that Congress has the af13 firmative power to prohibit this conduct. 

14 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO CURRENT LAW PROHIBITING FE15 MALE GENITAL MUTILATION. 

16 Section 116 of title 18, United States Code, is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, in any cir19 cumstance described in subsection (e),’’ after ‘‘who20 ever’’; and 

21 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(e) For purposes of subsection (a), the cir23 cumstances described in this subsection are that— 

24 ‘‘(1) the defendant or victim traveled in inter25 state or foreign commerce, or traveled using a 


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1 means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of inter2 state or foreign commerce, in furtherance of or in 

3 connection with the conduct described in subsection 

4 (a); 

5 ‘‘(2) the defendant used a means, channel, fa6 cility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign 

7 commerce in furtherance of or in connection with 

8 the conduct described in subsection (a); 

9 ‘‘(3) any payment of any kind was made, di10 rectly or indirectly, in furtherance of or in connec11 tion with the conduct described in subsection (a) 

12 using any means, channel, facility, or instrumen13 tality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or af14 fecting interstate or foreign commerce; 

15 ‘‘(4) the defendant transmitted in interstate or 

16 foreign commerce any communication relating to or 

17 in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 

18 (a) using any means, channel, facility, or instrumen19 tality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or af20 fecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means 

21 or in any manner, including by computer, mail, wire, 

22 or electromagnetic transmission; 

23 ‘‘(5) the conduct described in subsection (a) oc24 curred within the special maritime and territorial ju25 risdiction of the United States, or within the District 


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1 of Columbia or any territory or possession of the 

2 United States; or 

3 ‘‘(6) the conduct described in subsection (a) 

4 otherwise occurred in or affected interstate or for5 eign commerce.’’. 

Æ 


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