Congress · Laws

Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007

Public Law 110-358 · H.R. 4120 · 110th Congress · began in the House

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 8, 2008 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS-2)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Judy Biggert

Passage votesYeaNay

HouseRecorded vote: 418 yea, 0 nay418–0
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Title I: Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007 - Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the jurisdictional basis for prosecutions of sexual exploitation of children, selling or buying of children, or child pornography crimes to include activities that use any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce to complete such crimes.

Title II: Enhancing the Effective Prosecution of Child Pornography Act of 2007 - Enhancing the Effective Prosecution of Child Pornography Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) include child pornography that contains a visual depiction of an actual minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and the production of such pornography for importation into the United States as predicate crimes for money laundering prosecutions; and (2) define "possess" with respect to crimes of child sexual exploitation and child pornography to include accessing by computer visual depictions of child pornography with the intent to view.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 110th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 418 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

418 yea0 nay15 present or did not vote

Dimension 2

Economic left–right

More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(226)

Republicans who voted yea(192)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1831 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Judiciary Committee · House · referred to
Judiciary Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred to

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.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.

Oct 8, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-358.
Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
Sep 30, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
Sep 26, 2008Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 418 - 0 (Roll no. 656).House roll call 656
OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 418 - 0 (Roll no. 656).(consideration: CR H10058-10059; text as House agreed to Senate amendment: CR 9/25/2008 H98…House roll call 656
Sep 25, 2008Resolving differencesResolving differences · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Cannon objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
Resolving differencesResolving differences · Ms. Lofgren, Zoe moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.
FloorFloor · The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4120.
Sep 24, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Sep 23, 2008FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
Nov 15, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Nov 14, 2007FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 409 - 0 (Roll no. 1105).House roll call 1105
FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
Nov 13, 2007FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4120.
FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
FloorFloor · Mr. Conyers moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Nov 8, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House

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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

S.Amdt. 5641SenateSen. Harry ReidD-NV· offered Sep 23, 2008Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Sep 23, 2008: Amendment SA 5641 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Agreed to

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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.