IV
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 281
Respecting child pornography.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 20, 1993
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. MCMILLAN, Mr.
PARKER, Mr. HYDE, Mr. SOLOMON, Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska, Mr.
DELAY, Mr. FIELDS of Texas, Mr. BUYER, Mr. CANADY, Mr. WOLF, Mr.
HUTCHINSON, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. DICKEY, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. HEFLEY,
Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. PORTER, Mr. BACHUS of Alabama, Mr.
LINDER, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. LEWIS of Florida, Mr. BAKER of Califor-
nia, Mr. COX, Mr. RAVENEL, Mr. DORNAN, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. CAMP, Mr.
CUNNINGHAM, Mr. SUNDQUIST, Mr. BAKER of Louisiana, Mr. ROTH, Mr.
TALENT, Mr. HERGER, Mr. STUMP, Mr. BATEMAN, Mr. QUILLEN, Mr.
RIDGE, Mr. HANCOCK, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. HORN, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mrs.
ROUKEMA, Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland,
Mr. CALLAHAN, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. HUTTO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr.
WALSH, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. ZELIFF, Mr.
GINGRICH, Mr. GEKAS, Mr. MCCOLLUM, and Mr. KYL) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
APRIL 14, 1994
Additional sponsors: Mr. STEARNS, Mr. GOSS, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia, Mr.
SMITH of Texas, Mrs. VUCANOVICH, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. COMBEST, Mr.
CRANE, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. BLILEY, Mr. PAXON, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr.
UPTON, Mr. EWING, Mr. ARMEY, Mr. POMBO, Mr. BUNNING, Mr.
MANZULLO, Mr. OXLEY, Mr. KING, Mr. MCCANDLESS, Mr. KIM, Mr. FA-
WELL, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. EMERSON, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. PETE
GEREN of Texas, Mr. BARCIA of Michigan, Mr. LAZIO, Mr. GALLEGLY,
Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. LIGHTFOOT, Mr. KLUG, Mr. BLUTE, Mr. HANSEN,
Mr. MCKEON, Mr. SHAW, Ms. DUNN, Mr. MCDADE, Mr. BALLENGER,
Mr. MACHTLEY, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CALVERT,
Mr. CASTLE, Mr. WELDON, Mr. SKEEN, Mr. SMITH of Oregon, Mr.
SPENCE, Mr. TORKILDSEN, Mr. CRAPO, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr. SAM
JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. ARCHER, Mrs. BYRNE, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. JOHN-
SON of South Dakota, Mr. EVERETT, Mr. FISH, Mrs. FOWLER, Mr.
FRANKS of Connecticut, Mr. GALLO, Mr. MOORHEAD, Mr. PACKARD, Mr.
QUINN, Mr. KASICH, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. LEVY, Mr. LEWIS of California,
Mr. KOLBE, Mr. LEACH, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. MONTGOMERY, Mr. COBLE,
•HRES 281 SC
Mrs. MEYERS of Kansas, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mrs. JOHNSON of Con-
necticut, Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming, Mr. ROGERS, Ms. DANNER, Mr.
GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. SARPALIUS, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. ZIMMER, Mr.
JOHNSTON of Florida, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. DREIER, Mr. LIVINGSTON, Mr.
HALL of Texas, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. SCHAEFER, Mr. WALKER, Mr.
GRAMS, Mr. BONILLA, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. MICA, Ms. MOLINARI,
Mr. MYERS of Indiana, Mr. KLINK, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr.
BOEHLERT, Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. FINGERHUT, Mr. CRAMER, Mr.
MCCLOSKEY, Mr. HUFFINGTON, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. GILMAN, Mr.
CONDIT, Mr. LANCASTER, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ISTOOK,
Mr. POMEROY, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr. SHARP, Mr. TEJEDA, Mr. TAYLOR
of Mississippi, Mr. BARLOW, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. FROST, Mr. DUNCAN,
Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mrs. BENTLEY, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. MILLER of
Florida, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. THOMAS of California, Mr.
FRANKS of New Jersey, Mr. PENNY, Mr. GUNDERSON, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr.
REGULA, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. PETERSON of Florida, Mr. NUSSLE, Mr.
HEFNER, Mr. MICHEL, Mr. GRANDY, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr.
SKELTON, Mr. WHITTEN, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. VOLKMER, Mr. PETRI, Mr.
COOPER, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. HOKE, Mr. BORSKI, Mr. HOBSON,
Mr. TAUZIN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MOLLO-
HAN, Mr. GORDON, Mr. POSHARD, Mr. BACCHUS of Florida, Ms. LONG,
Mr. ALLARD, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. SMITH of Michigan, Mr. DIAZ-
BALART, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. ANDREWS of New Jersey, Mr. COSTELLO,
Mr. SHUSTER, Ms. SNOWE, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr.
CLINGER, 
Mr. 
LAFALCE, 
Mr. 
WILSON, 
Mr. 
GOODLING, 
Mr.
HOCHBRUECKNER, Mr. HAYES, Mr. DERRICK, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. ROW-
LAND, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. SLATTERY, Mr. DARDEN, Mr. BAESLER, Ms.
LAMBERT, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. MANN, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr.
TORRICELLI, Mr. WHEAT, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. MANTON,
Mr. BARCA of Wisconsin, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. VALENTINE, Mr. HAMILTON,
Mr. INSLEE, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. BREWSTER, Ms. SCHENK,
Mr. CLEMENT, Ms. SHEPHERD, Mr. DE LA GARZA, Mr. GLICKMAN, Mr.
STRICKLAND, Mr. SANGMEISTER, and Mr. BROWDER
RESOLUTION
Respecting child pornography.
Whereas child pornography is the permanent record of the
sexual abuse or exploitation of children;
Whereas children who are victims of child pornography often
suffer severe physical and emotional harm;
Whereas child pornography is a serious national problem;
•HRES 281 SC
Whereas the Congress of the United States has a compelling
interest in the protection of children from sexual abuse
and exploitation by pornography (see New York v. Fer-
ber, 458 U.S. 747 (1982));
Whereas the Congress of the United States, in pursuit of this
compelling interest, has taken every opportunity to
strengthen child pornography laws and has, in clear and
unambiguous language, criminalized the production,
interstate distribution, receipt and possession of child
pornography;
Whereas the United States Department of Justice in its brief
to the United States Supreme Court in the case of Knox
v. United States, 92–1183, has failed to support the con-
viction of a child pornographer won by the Department
in the United States District Court for the Middle Dis-
trict of Pennsylvania and affirmed on appeal in the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit;
Whereas the Department of Justice has used its brief in the
Knox case as a vehicle for reinterpretation of the Federal
child pornography laws in contravention to legislative his-
tory and past prosecution practices of the Department of
Justice;
Whereas the Department of Justice by declaring in its brief
in the Knox case that a pornographer who lasciviously ex-
hibits the genitals of children is prosecutable within the
Federal child pornography laws only if the depictions
show a minor engaged in the conduct of lasciviously ex-
hibiting his or her genitals or pubic area, creates a feder-
ally protected class of child pornography, e.g. child por-
nography involving children who are not knowingly en-
gaged in lasciviously exhibiting their genitals or pubic
•HRES 281 SC
areas but whose genitals or pubic areas are nonetheless
lasciviously depicted by others;
Whereas the Department of Justice by declaring in its brief
in the Knox case in contravention to legislative history,
that a pornographer who lasciviously exhibits the genital
or pubic area of children is prosecutable within the Fed-
eral child pornography laws only if the genitals are nude
or visible creates a federally protected class of child por-
nography, e.g. depictions which focus on a minor child’s
clothed genital or pubic area with the obvious intent of
eliciting a sexual response in pedophiles;
Whereas the plan meaning and congressional intent of the
language in section 2256 of title 18, United States Code,
is that the term ‘‘lascivious exhibition’’ refers to whether
the depiction is intended to elicit a sexual response from
the viewer, and not to the actions of the child;
Whereas the Department of Justice has employed this mean-
ing of the term ‘‘lascivious exhibition’’ since it was in-
cluded in the laws in 1984, and Congress has not
changed the meaning of the term;
Whereas Congress specifically repudiated a ‘‘nudity’’ require-
ment for child pornography statutes (see United States
v. Knox, 977 F. 2d 815, at 820–823, (3rd Cir., 1992));
Whereas the ‘‘harm Congress attempted to eradicate by en-
acting child pornography laws is present when a photog-
rapher unnaturally focuses on a minor child’s clothed
genital area with the obvious intent to produce an image
sexually arousing to pedophiles.’’ (see Knox at 822); and
Whereas the Congress of the United States believes that the
reinterpretation of the Federal child pornography laws by
Department of Justice, unless reversed, will bring back
•HRES 281 SC
commercial child pornography and lead to a substantial
increase of sexual exploitation of children: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the Department of Justice repudiate its
reinterpretation of Federal child pornography laws, defend
the conviction won in lower courts in the Knox case, and
vigorously prosecute sexual exploitation of children.
Æ