Combat Online Predators Act
Public Law 116-249 · S. 134 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 22, 2020 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Bob Casey
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.
Combat Online Predators Act
(Sec. 2) This bill increases the maximum prison term for a stalking offense, if the victim is under 18 years of age.
(Sec. 3) The Department of Justice must report on best practices for enforcing laws related to stalking.
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
4 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 570Identical bill
Combat Online Predators Act
H.R. 1585Related bill
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019
S. 2843Related bill
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019
S. 2920Related bill
A bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and for other purposes.
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. 16 actions.
- Dec 22, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-249.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 11, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 8, 2020FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 134.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Cicilline moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 29, 2019FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Oct 28, 2019FloorFloor · 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.
- Jan 15, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 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
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1196SenateSen. Pat ToomeyR-PA· offered Oct 28, 2019Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Oct 28, 2019: Amendment SA 1196 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
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.