# 119-hr-3297: Interstate Obscenity Definition Act

119-hr-3297, Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3297
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3297
- Congress: 119
- Title: Interstate Obscenity Definition Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**A new statutory definition of 'obscene' for visual depictions under the Communications Act.** The bill would also remove the requirement that interstate or District of Columbia obscene or harassing calls be made with an intent to abuse, threaten, or harass. - Content creators and distributors: Changes what counts as "obscene" for pictures, images, films and other visual depictions. The test has three parts: prurient appeal, depiction of sexual acts with an objective intent to arouse, and lack of serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. - Call recipients: Removes the intent-to-abuse, threaten, or harass requirement for obscene or harassing telephone calls in the District of Columbia and in interstate or foreign communications, affecting how those calls can be charged. - Telecom companies and agencies: Renumbers and updates cross-references in the Communications Act so obscenity rules and citations align with the new definition. - Courts and prosecutors: Links the terms "sexual act" and "sexual contact" to their meanings in 18 U.S.C. 2246, which will guide legal interpretation in related cases.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New obscenity rules for calls and media: mixed, high. This bill would set a clear legal test for when pictures or videos are obscene under the Communications Act. It would use a three-part test about prurient appeal, sexual acts or lewd genitals meant to arouse, and lack of serious value. It would use federal definitions for “sexual act” and “sexual c…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1915: Stop the Cartels Act
- 119-hr-687: MERIT Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act
- 119-hr-2282: Respect Parents’ Childcare Choices Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3297 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3297)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1915: Stop the Cartels Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1915)
- [119-hr-687: MERIT Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-687)
- [119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8206)
- [119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4706)
- [119-hr-2282: Respect Parents’ Childcare Choices Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2282)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3297 (as of 2026-04-21).