Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6732) to prohibit unlawful coercion of a minor, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 6732
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act'' or the ``CSAFE Act''. SEC. 2. UNLAWFULLY COMPELLING CHILDREN.
(a) In General.--Section 2422 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c)(1) Whoever, using the mail or any facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, intentionally compels a minor to--
``(A) engage in self-harm, including suicide or attempted suicide;
``(B) commit animal crushing (as defined in section 48);
``(C) engage in abusive or degrading nonsexual conduct (whether or not physical injury results) for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense; or
``(D) engage in sexually explicit conduct, as defined in section 2256(2)(A), shall be punished as provided in paragraph (2).
``(2) Whoever violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate paragraph (1)--
``(A) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both;
``(B) if serious bodily injury results, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both; or
``(C) if death results, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both.
``(3) In this subsection, the term `compel' includes the use of a threat, extortion, blackmail, fraud, deceit, or manipulation.''.
(b) Juvenile Delinquency Conforming Amendment.--Section 5032 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking ``or 2241(c),'' and inserting ``2241(c), or 2242(c),''.
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the horror of child abuse and exploitation online continues to remain a significant problem across the country.
The Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance made combating child exploitation a top priority in the 118th Congress, and we continue to do so in the 119th Congress.
Unfortunately, criminals are continuously finding new ways to force minors to commit sexual or violent acts against themselves or others.
Violent online networks are methodically targeting vulnerable underage populations across the United States. These violent groups, often known as gore groups, target children and force them into unthinkable acts of violence against themselves, against others, and even against animals.
These groups use social media or other popular platforms such as Roblox or Discord to elicit private information or sexual images from minors, and they use that information and that material to blackmail victims into mutilating themselves or taking other violent action against friends, family members, or pets.
Many of these networks rapidly emerge, create alliances, and then quickly dissolve, making it difficult to determine leadership structure. Many criminal actors are located overseas, and many of these offenders are also minors themselves.
The most prominent example is the online extremist network known as 764. Mr. Speaker, 764 is a decentralized online network that glorifies violence and encourages participation in criminal activities such as sextortion and doxing. A disturbed young man, who has since been arrested and jailed, started the 764 network in 2020.
While decentralized, the group has grown into a vast array of online predators seemingly in a dark competition of who can manipulate children to commit the most violent acts.
In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMIC, Cyber Tipline, the Nation's centralized reporting system for the online abuse and exploitation of minors, received more than 1,300 reports of exploitation with a connection to a violent online group. By August of 2025, NCMIC had already received more than 1,000 similar reports.
A law enforcement officer stated of these groups: ``If you can get someone to self-harm, you are doing quite well in that group. If you can get them to kill themselves, you are reaching the pinnacle.''
In April 2025, the FBI Richmond field office shared a public information video warning parents about a ``new threat to kids' safety.'' According to former Deputy Director Dan Bongino, the FBI has more than 300 active investigations into these groups, and that number continues to grow, but they were having difficulty preparing for prosecution because of gaps in our law.
I applaud the FBI for taking crucial steps to both raise awareness of this issue and hold predators accountable. However, more tools are needed from Congress to ensure that these heinous individuals are prosecuted.
The conduct of groups such as the 764 network do not always fit neatly into existing criminal statutes, which potentially jeopardizes prosecutions.
The Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act, CSAFE, criminalizes compelling or enticing a minor to engage in self-harm, engage in animal crushing, or to commit acts of self-mutilation or self-branding.
We can all find common ground with this commonsense legislation. These are grotesque crimes that must be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I commend both sides of the aisle for working on this legislation. It is my hope and fondest wish that we pass this bill out of this House today, get it to the Senate, and get it up to the President for signing and enactment.
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee).
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).
Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, bad actors often prey on the most vulnerable: our children. It is our job to stand up for them. That is why I rise today in support of the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act introduced by my colleague and friend, Chairman Andy Biggs.
This bill will ensure accountability for anyone who intentionally compels a minor to engage in self-harm or other degrading acts. As child abuse continues in this country and takes many forms, prosecutors must have the proper tools to go after these predators.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act.
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for his helpful suggestions that will make this bill much better and has made it much better. I thank Ranking Member McBath for her support as well.
It is our desire to bring these malevolent-hearted people who are filled with evil and criminal intention to justice and to protect our children.
Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill out of the House and the Senate and to get it signed and enacted, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Malliotakis.) The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6732, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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