Stop Sextortion Act
Sponsored By: Senator Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced
Summary
Criminalizing threats to distribute sexual images of minors would make it a federal crime to threaten to share a minor's visual sexual material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress. It would also raise prison terms for offenses that use such material to harm victims.
Show full summary
- Minors and victims: Targets of sextortion get new federal legal protection against threats to share sexually explicit images.
- People who threaten others: People who threaten to distribute a visual depiction could face the same federal penalties as possession or distribution, even if no actual image existed.
- Perpetrators and registered offenders: Offenses that knowingly use a minor's sexually explicit material to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress would carry up to 10 extra years in prison.
- Federal prosecution: The bill widens jurisdictional language and removes certain transport limits so threats "involving any child pornography" are more clearly covered by federal law.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Tougher rules on sextortion threats
This bill would make threatening to share sexual images a federal crime, covering child pornography and other visual depictions. It would let prosecutors charge attempts or conspiracies and punish someone even if no images actually existed. It would add 10 years to maximum prison terms when an offense uses a minor's sexual images to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause serious emotional distress. The bill would broaden federal jurisdiction and give prosecutors stronger tools against sextortion.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL]
FL • R
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 1/27/2026
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 2/25/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov