I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3583 
To amend section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2019 
Mr. PERRY (for himself, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia, Mr. SEN-
SENBRENNER, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. KING of Iowa, and Mr. JOYCE of Pennsyl-
vania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and 
for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Federal Prohibition 
of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Congress has previously prohibited the prac-
tice of female genital mutilation on minors, which 
causes physical and psychological harm and is often 
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beyond the ability of any single State or jurisdiction 
to control. 
(2) Individuals who perform the practice of fe-
male genital mutilation on minors rely on a connec-
tion to interstate or foreign commerce, such as inter-
state or foreign travel, the transmission or receipt of 
communications in interstate or foreign commerce, 
or interstate or foreign payments of any kind in fur-
therance of this conduct. 
(3) Amending section 116 of title 18, United 
States Code, to specify a link to interstate or foreign 
commerce would confirm that Congress has the af-
firmative power to prohibit this conduct. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO CURRENT LAW PROHIBITING FE-
MALE GENITAL MUTILATION. 
Section 116 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, in any cir-
cumstance described in subsection (e),’’ after ‘‘who-
ever’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) For purposes of subsection (a), the circumstan-
ces described in this subsection are that— 
‘‘(1) the defendant or victim traveled in inter-
state or foreign commerce, or traveled using a 
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means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of inter-
state or foreign commerce, in furtherance of or in 
connection with the conduct described in subsection 
(a); 
‘‘(2) the defendant used a means, channel, fa-
cility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign 
commerce in furtherance of or in connection with 
the conduct described in subsection (a); 
‘‘(3) any payment of any kind was made, di-
rectly or indirectly, in furtherance of or in connec-
tion with the conduct described in subsection (a) 
using any means, channel, facility, or instrumen-
tality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or af-
fecting interstate or foreign commerce; 
‘‘(4) the defendant transmitted in interstate or 
foreign commerce any communication relating to or 
in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 
(a) using any means, channel, facility, or instrumen-
tality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or af-
fecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means 
or in any manner, including by computer, mail, wire, 
or electromagnetic transmission; 
‘‘(5) the conduct described in subsection (a) oc-
curred within the special maritime and territorial ju-
risdiction of the United States, or within the District 
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of Columbia or any territory or possession of the 
United States; or 
‘‘(6) the conduct described in subsection (a) 
otherwise occurred in or affected interstate or for-
eign commerce.’’. 
Æ 
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