Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007
Public Law 110-452 · S. 602 · 110th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 2, 2008 · Science, Technology, Communications
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Cosponsors (6): Sen. Bob Menendez, Sen. Herb Kohl,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007 - Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate a notice of inquiry to consider measures to examine: (1) the existence and availability of advanced blocking technologies that are compatible with various communications devices or platforms; (2) methods of encouraging the development, deployment, and use of such technology by parents that do not affect the packaging or pricing of a content provider's offering; and (3) the availability and use of parental empowerment tools and initiatives already in the market.
Requires that the FCC consider advanced blocking technologies that: (1) may be appropriate across a wide variety of distribution platforms (including wired, wireless, and Internet platforms) and transmitting or receiving devices; (2) can filter language based on information in closed captioning; (3) operate independently of the program creator's ratings; and (4) may enhance the parent's ability to protect his or her child from indecent or objectionable programming, as determined by that parent.
Requires a report to Congress.
Defines "advanced blocking technologies" as technologies that can improve or enhance the ability of a parent to protect his or her child from any indecent or objectionable video or audio programming, as determined by the parent, transmitted through wire, wireless, or radio communication.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
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
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.
- Dec 2, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-452.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 21, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 18, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 17, 2008Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 3, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Ms. DeGette asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- Oct 2, 2008FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Oct 1, 2008FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Mar 3, 2008CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 588.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Inouye with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 110-268.
- Feb 26, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2231)
- Feb 15, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2025)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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
2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 5684SenateSen. Mark PryorD-AR· offered Oct 1, 2008Agreed to
Of a perfecting nature.
Oct 1, 2008: Amendment SA 5684 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- Agreed to
H.Amdt. 1190HouseRep. Diana DeGetteD-CO-1· offered Oct 3, 2008Agreed to
An amendment to strike section 2 which is the "Findings" portion of the bill.
Oct 3, 2008: On agreeing to the DeGette amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
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.