ECCHO Act

The bill would define key terms like “coerce,” “doxxing,” “swatting,” and “covered act,” set federal jurisdiction when the mail or interstate or foreign commerce is used, and add the new offense into existing child-protection and criminal statutes.

• Families and minors: Gives families a federal tool aimed at people who pressure children to die by suicide, kill, harm animals, commit arson, or carry out other serious acts. It covers coercion done online or offline.
• Perpetrators: Would expose people who force a child to die by suicide or commit homicide to penalties up to life in prison. Those who coerce other serious bodily harm, arson, or covered acts could face up to 30 years.
• Federal enforcement and child-protection programs: Would insert the new offense (section 2261C) across Title 18 cross-references and expand the PROTECT Our Children Act definition of child exploitation to include this kind of coercion.