# 119-s-150: Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

119-s-150, Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ); status introduced (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-150
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-150
- Congress: 119
- Title: Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-17
- Sponsor: Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**A coordinated national strategy to stop transnational criminal organizations from using social media to recruit people in the United States and near U.S. borders.** The bill would require the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State to jointly assess how cartels and other transnational criminal organizations use social media, messaging apps, and interactive platforms and then build a national strategy to counter recruitment and related illicit activities. - Families and youth in border communities would see increased engagement and outreach about recruitment tactics and the dangers of illicit activity, with explicit attention to protecting minors' privacy and civil rights. - Federal agencies and law enforcement would be required to complete a joint assessment within 180 days and deliver a national strategy within 1 year, creating formal interagency coordination among DHS, DOJ, and State. - Platform operators and privacy advocates would face new definitions of "covered services" such as social media and messaging apps, a proposed voluntary reporting mechanism for recruitment, and a mandated civil rights and privacy assessment to be completed within 2 years.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-01-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-01-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2025-01-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Who and what the plan covers: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define key terms the plan uses. A "covered operator" would mean the operator, developer, or publisher of a covered service. A "covered service" would include social media, certain messaging apps with group chat, and interactive multiuser platforms when DHS finds those ser…
- Federal plan to stop online recruitment: mixed, medium. If enacted, DHS, the Justice Department, and the State Department would have to send Congress a national plan within 1 year on stopping cartel and transnational criminal recruitment on social media and apps. They would also have to send a joint assessment to Congress within 180 days about how those…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-545: Combating Illicit Xylazine Act
- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…
- 119-s-1829: STOP CSAM Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-150 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/150)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-545: Combating Illicit Xylazine Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-545)
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [119-s-1829: STOP CSAM Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1829)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-150 (as of 2025-12-21).