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Safe Connections Act of 2022

Public Law 117-223 · H.R. 7132 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 7, 2022 · Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor: Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH-2)

Cosponsors (8): Rep. Anna Eshoo,

Passage votes

  • HouseMethod not stated
  • 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.

This act establishes requirements concerning access to communication services for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and related harms.

At a survivor's request, a mobile service provider must separate from a shared mobile service contract the survivor's line (and the line of any individual in the survivor's care) from the abuser's line unless separation is operationally or technologically infeasible. A survivor requesting this must (1) verify through appropriate documentation that an individual under the contract committed or allegedly committed an act of domestic violence, trafficking, or a related criminal act against the survivor; and (2) assume financial responsibility for services after a line separation.

A provider may not charge fees or impose other requirements on such requests. Additionally, a provider must

• separate the line within two business days of receiving a request;

• allow requests to be made remotely (if feasible);

• meet conditions related to confidentiality of, disposal of, and other matters concerning communications about requests; and

• make information about the process for requests available through consumer-facing communications (e.g., websites).

The act (1) provides liability protection for providers' acts or omissions undertaken to comply with such requests, and (2) requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules for these requests.

Additionally, the FCC must (1) expand access to federally subsidized communication services for survivors facing financial hardship, and (2) evaluate this expanded access.

The FCC must also consider rules requiring communication service providers to omit from consumer-facing logs calls and texts to hotlines for domestic violence and similar issues while retaining internal records.

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.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.Res. 1254Related bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3771) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for research and improvement of cardiovascular health among the South Asian population of the United States, and for …

  • S. 120Related bill

    Safe Connections Act of 2021

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. 22 actions.

  1. Dec 7, 2022Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-223.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 2, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Nov 25, 2022FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Nov 17, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Jul 28, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. Jul 27, 2022FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 1254, and the motion offered by Mr. Kildee, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 623, as amended; H.R. 3952, as amended; H.R. 3962, as amended; H.R. 4551; H.R. 5313, as amended; H.R. 6933; H.R. 7132, as amended; H.R. 736…
  8. FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 1254, and the motion offered by Mr. Kildee, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 623, as amended; H.R. 3952, as amended; H.R. 3962, as amended; H.R. 4551; H.R. 5313, as amended; H.R. 6933; H.R.…
  9. FloorFloor · Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1254, proceedings on H.R. 7132 are considered vacated.
  10. Jul 26, 2022FloorFloor · 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.
  11. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 7132.
  12. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  13. FloorFloor · Mr. Doyle, Michael F. moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  14. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 342.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 117-438.
  16. Jul 13, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 53 - 0.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  18. Jun 15, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by the Yeas and Nays: 29 - 0 .
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  20. Mar 18, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
  21. Mar 17, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  22. 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

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.

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Official record

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