# 119-s-1333: Strengthening Child Exploitation Enforcement Act

119-s-1333, Strengthening Child Exploitation Enforcement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX); status passed_senate (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1333
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1333
- Congress: 119
- Title: Strengthening Child Exploitation Enforcement Act
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-04-08
- Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Expands federal criminal coverage and penalties for kidnapping and sexual offenses against minors.** It narrows consent defenses for victims under 16, adds deceptive abductions and intentional touching of children to federal offenses, and brings attempts and related conduct into federal liability. - Families and children: More conduct involving minors becomes federally prosecutable, including obtaining a child by defrauding or deceiving another person and intentional touching of someone under 16. This raises the range of actions that can trigger federal charges. - Defendants and prosecutions: The bill would limit consent as a defense for victims under 16 unless the offender proves a reasonable belief the child was 16 or older. It also makes attempts, conspiracies, and interstate or foreign travel connected to these offenses easier to charge. - Sentencing and civil rights penalties: Federal sentencing classifications and civil rights penalties are realigned to match the expanded offenses so that penalties reflect the broader scope of conduct. Effective-date language covers conduct before, on, or after enactment where specified.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA] (D-GA), 2025-09-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Broader federal reach for child sexual abuse: benefit, high. If enacted, federal prosecutors would have wider reach in child sexual abuse cases. Attempts and conduct a person causes would count the same as completed acts. The travel rule would change to traveling in interstate or foreign commerce instead of crossing a State line. That rule would apply to act…
- Kidnapping by trick treated as kidnapping: benefit, medium. If enacted, taking someone by fraud or deception would count as federal kidnapping. Prosecutors would be able to charge kidnappings done by trick, not only by force. This change would take effect upon enactment.
- New crime for sexual touching in federal places: benefit, medium. If enacted, it would be a federal crime in certain federal places to cause a person under 16 to intentionally touch someone’s genitalia without clothing. The rule would apply on federal lands, in federal prisons, and in facilities held under federal contracts. It would also cover attempts. Penaltie…
- Tighter age defense for under 16: benefit, medium. If enacted, consent would not be a defense when the victim is under 16. A defendant would have to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that they reasonably believed the victim was at least 16. This change would take effect upon enactment.

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025
- 119-s-2858: SHINE for Autumn Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-1333 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1333)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-554)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-410)
- [119-s-2858: SHINE for Autumn Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2858)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1333 (as of 2026-08-11).