Congress · Laws

Child Sexual Abuse and Pornography Act of 1986

Public Law 99-628 · H.R. 5560 · 99th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 7, 1986 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. William Hughes (D-NJ-2)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votesYeaNay

HouseRecorded vote: 390 yea, 0 nay390–0
SenateVoice vote

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.

(Measure passed House, amended, roll call #422 (390-0))

Child Sexual Abuse and Pornography Act of 1986 - Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the sexual exploitation of children. Makes it a Federal criminal offense for any person to advertise: (1) any product depicting sexually explicit conduct with a minor; or (2) the opportunity to engage in such conduct with a minor. Includes undeveloped film and videotape within the definition of "visual depiction."

Amends the Mann Act to include the transportation of males within its coverage. Makes it a Federal criminal offense to entice or coerce any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution or other illegal sexual activity. Provides enhanced criminal penalties for transporting minors in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in such activities.

Amends the Mann Act to make such offenses gender neutral.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 99th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 391 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

391 yea0 nay41 present or did not vote

Dimension 2

Economic left–right

More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(228)

Republicans who voted yea(163)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 826 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 · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.

Nov 7, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-628.
Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
Oct 30, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
Oct 18, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
Sep 29, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 390 - 0 (Record Vote No: 422).House roll call 422
Sep 27, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
Sep 25, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
Sep 24, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
Sep 23, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
Sep 19, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House

Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.