Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004
Public Law 108-495 · S. 1301 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 23, 2004 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Cosponsors (3): Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly videotaping, photographing, filming, recording by any means, or broadcasting an image of a private area of an individual, without that individual's consent, under circumstances in which that individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy. (Defines a "private area" as the naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast of an individual.)
Makes such prohibition inapplicable to lawful law enforcement, correctional, or intelligence activity.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2405Identical bill
Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2003
H.Res. 842Related bill
Requesting return of official papers on S. 1301.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 31 actions.
- Dec 23, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-495.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 15, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 10, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 7, 2004Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the amendment of the House by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the amendment of the House by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 18, 2004FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Nov 17, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Oct 8, 2004FloorFloor · House requested return of papers pursuant to H. Res. 842.
- Sep 21, 2004FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1301.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Sensenbrenner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- May 20, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 287.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 108-504.
- May 12, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Mar 30, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Oct 22, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Sep 30, 2003FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sep 25, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 24, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 228.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Hatch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jun 19, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8245)
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.