James T. Woods Act
Sponsored By: Representative Lee (FL)
In Committee
Summary
Strengthens federal penalties for online child sexual exploitation and sextortion. It orders the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) to raise and revise sentencing guidelines and creates new crimes and tougher sentences for coercing or threatening minors, including penalties up to life in prison.
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- Families and children: Expands what counts as child sexual abuse material and makes it a crime to distribute or threaten to distribute images to force a minor to create or send sexual material. This widens protections for victims and targets online coercion and sextortion.
- Offenders and penalties: Creates a new federal offense for coercing a child to commit serious harm, including suicide, homicide, or arson, with penalties up to life imprisonment for the gravest cases. It also criminalizes threats to distribute sexual images even when no material exists and adds 10-year increases to maximum terms in specified circumstances.
- Sentencing, policy, and federal definitions: Directs the USSC to revise guidelines and consider factors like number of online channels, victim age, and number of items. The bill bars lowering the base offense level below Guideline section 2G2.2 and expands the PROTECT Our Children Act definition of “child exploitation” to include online coercion.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Criminal threat penalties for image blackmail
If enacted, the bill would make it a federal crime to threaten to share images or child pornography to intimidate, extort, coerce, or cause serious emotional harm. That threat would be punishable even if no actual image or child pornography existed. Penalties would follow the existing child-pornography statutes, so offenders could face long prison terms and fines.
Higher prison caps for porn-related coercion
If enacted, the bill would add 10 years to the maximum prison terms for several federal sex and child-pornography crimes when the defendant knowingly used such material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. The increase would apply across multiple statutes, raising statutory maximums available to judges and prosecutors. The change targets cases where images were used as a tool of harm.
New federal crime for coercing children
If enacted, the bill would create a new federal crime for coercing anyone under 18 to kill, attempt suicide, harm people or animals, or commit arson. The offense would apply when coercion occurs by mail or across state or international lines. The bill would define "coerce" to include threats, extortion, fraud, harassment, and manipulation. Penalties would include fines and long prison terms, including life for the most serious conduct.
Sentencing guideline review for child exploitation
If enacted, the bill would require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to revise federal guidelines for child-exploitation and related crimes. The Commission would account for victim harm, internet technology, number of victims or images, and whether an offense caused a victim's suicide. The bill would bar lowering a key base offense level while the revisions are developed.
Update laws to include online coercion
If enacted, the bill would update many federal statutes and program rules to include "online coercion of children." It would add cross-references to the new coercion offense so other laws and child-protection programs recognize online coercion. These are conforming changes to align existing statutes and services with the new offense.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lee (FL)
FL • R
Cosponsors
Schmidt
KS • R
Sponsored 1/9/2026
Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4]
NY • D
Sponsored 1/12/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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