IB 
Union Calendar No. 432 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1865 
[Report No. 115–572, Part I] 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify that section 230 
of such Act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and 
users of interactive computer services of Federal and State criminal 
and civil law relating to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2017 
Mrs. WAGNER (for herself, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. 
CLARKE of New York, Mr. POE of Texas, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY 
of New York, Mr. ROYCE of California, Mrs. ROBY, Mr. KINZINGER, and 
Ms. JENKINS of Kansas) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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FEBRUARY 20, 2018 
Additional sponsors: Mr. SMUCKER, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. 
FLEISCHMANN, Mr. LANCE, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. 
ROUZER, Ms. MOORE, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. TURNER, Ms. 
ROSEN, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. EVANS, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. KATKO, Ms. 
KELLY of Illinois, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. COFFMAN, 
Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. BISHOP of Michigan, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. CRIST, 
Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. COMSTOCK, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
THOMAS J. ROONEY of Florida, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. SMITH of 
Missouri, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. MACARTHUR, Mr. PITTENGER, Mr. CON-
AWAY, Mr. YOUNG of Iowa, Mr. WALKER, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. HARRIS, 
Mr. MESSER, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. BRAT, Mr. POLIQUIN, Mr. 
VALADAO, Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California, Mr. GIBBS, Ms. HERRERA 
BEUTLER, Mr. LONG, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. BASS, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. HANABUSA, Ms. BLUNT ROCH-
ESTER, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRIS-
HAM of New Mexico, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. RICHMOND, Mrs. LOVE, Mr. 
CLAY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. 
ADAMS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. BOST, Ms. 
TENNEY, Mr. HUDSON, Mrs. HANDEL, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. COLE, Mr. 
BILIRAKIS, Mrs. NOEM, Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, 
Mr. ROSS, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. DONOVAN, Ms. KUSTER of New 
Hampshire, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. PALM-
ER, Mr. DAVIDSON, Ms. FOXX, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. FASO, 
Mr. ROTHFUS, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. 
REED, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. STEWART, 
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. RUSH, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. 
O’HALLERAN, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. POSEY, Mr. JENKINS of 
West Virginia, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, 
Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Mr. KEATING, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. TITUS, Mr. SEAN PATRICK 
MALONEY of New York, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. CURBELO 
of Florida, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. HULTGREN, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. FOR-
TENBERRY, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. 
LAMALFA, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. OLSON, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. 
WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. COHEN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. FRELING-
HUYSEN, Mr. PAULSEN, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. 
BRADY of Texas, Mr. FLORES, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. HOLLINGSWORTH, Mr. 
BYRNE, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Miss 
RICE of New York, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. GOH-
MERT, Mr. RICE of South Carolina, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. BARLETTA, Mr. 
SENSENBRENNER, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. KNIGHT, Mr. 
KUSTOFF of Tennessee, Mr. LUCAS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. 
CULBERSON, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. COSTA, 
Mr. CALVERT, and Mr. YOHO 
Deleted sponsor: Mr. MCNERNEY (added September 13, 2017; deleted 
September 25, 2017 ) 
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FEBRUARY 20, 2018 
Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an amendment 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
FEBRUARY 20, 2018 
The Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged; committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 
printed 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 3, 2017] 
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A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify that 
section 230 of such Act does not prohibit the enforce-
ment against providers and users of interactive computer 
services of Federal and State criminal and civil law relat-
ing to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking, 
and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Allow States and Vic-
tims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) section 230 of the Communications Act of 
1934 (47 U.S.C. 230; commonly known as the ‘‘Com-
munications Decency Act of 1996’’) was never in-
tended to provide legal protection to websites that un-
lawfully promote and facilitate prostitution and con-
tribute to sex trafficking; 
(2) websites that promote and facilitate prostitu-
tion have been reckless in allowing the sale of sex traf-
ficking victims and have done nothing to prevent the 
trafficking of children and victims of force, fraud, and 
coercion; and 
(3) clarification of such section is warranted to 
ensure that such section does not provide such protec-
tion to such websites. 
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SEC. 3. PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION AND RECKLESS DIS-
REGARD OF SEX TRAFFICKING. 
(a) PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION.—Chapter 117 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
section 2421 the following: 
‘‘§ 2421A. Promotion or facilitation of prostitution 
and reckless disregard of sex trafficking 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever uses or operates a facility 
or means of interstate or foreign commerce or attempts to 
do so with the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitu-
tion of another person shall be fined under this title, impris-
oned for not more than 10 years, or both. 
‘‘(b) AGGRAVATED VIOLATION.—Whoever uses or oper-
ates a facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce 
with the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitution of 
another person and— 
‘‘(1) promotes or facilitates the prostitution of 5 
or more persons; or 
‘‘(2) acts in reckless disregard of the fact that 
such conduct contributed to sex trafficking, in viola-
tion of 1591(a), 
shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 
25 years, or both. 
‘‘(c) CIVIL RECOVERY.—Any person injured by reason 
of a violation of section 2421A(b) may recover damages and 
reasonable attorneys’ fees in an action before any appro-
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priate United States district court. Consistent with section 
230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230), 
a defendant may be held liable, under this subsection, where 
promotion or facilitation of prostitution activity includes 
responsibility for the creation or development of all or part 
of the information or content provided through any inter-
active computer service. 
‘‘(d) MANDATORY
RESTITUTION.—Notwithstanding 
sections 3663 or 3663A and in addition to any other civil 
or criminal penalties authorized by law, the court shall 
order restitution for any offense under this section. 
‘‘(e) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.—It shall be an affirma-
tive defense to a charge of violating subsection (a) where 
the defendant proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, 
that the promotion or facilitation of prostitution is legal 
in the jurisdiction where the promotion or facilitation was 
targeted.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 
to section 2421 the following: 
‘‘2421A. Promotion or facilitation of prostitution and reckless disregard of sex 
trafficking.’’. 
SEC. 4. COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT. 
Section 230(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 230(e)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(5) NO EFFECT ON STATE LAWS CONFORMING 
TO 18 U.S.C. 1591(A) OR 2421A.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to impair or limit any charge in 
a criminal prosecution brought under State law— 
‘‘(A) if the conduct underlying the charge 
constitutes a violation of section 2421A of title 
18, United States Code, and promotion or facili-
tation of prostitution is illegal in the jurisdic-
tion where the defendant’s promotion or facilita-
tion of prostitution was targeted; or 
‘‘(B) if the conduct underlying the charge 
constitutes a violation of section 1591(a) of title 
18, United States Code.’’. 
SEC. 5. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act shall be construed to limit or preempt any civil action 
or criminal prosecution under Federal law or State law (in-
cluding State statutory law and State common law) filed 
before or after the day before the date of enactment of this 
Act that was not limited or preempted by section 230 of 
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230), as such 
section was in effect on the day before the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
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Union Calendar No. 432 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1865 
[Report No. 115–572, Part I] 
A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clar-
ify that section 230 of such Act does not prohibit 
the enforcement against providers and users of 
interactive computer services of Federal and 
State criminal and civil law relating to sexual ex-
ploitation of children or sex trafficking, and for 
other purposes. 
FEBRUARY 20, 2018 
Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an 
amendment 
FEBRUARY 20, 2018 
The Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged; 
committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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