Federal bill strips time limits and adds registry rules for obscene child abuse imagery
Passed one chamberS. 3021Latest action
Sponsor: John Cornyn · Senator · TX
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: ENFORCE Act
119th Congress
Topics: Crime & justice
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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The ENFORCE Act removes the statute of limitations and adds sex offender registration for obscene depictions of child sexual abuse, including drawn and digital material.
55-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
The ENFORCE Act expands federal criminal law to cover obscene visual depictions of child sexual abuse, including animated and computer-generated images, not only real photographs. It removes the statute of limitations for these offenses, requires sex offender registration upon conviction, and mandates pretrial detention and supervised release after prison. Evidence rules are tightened so this material must remain under government or court control during criminal proceedings.
Who does it affect?
The bill directly affects anyone who creates, distributes, or possesses obscene depictions of child sexual abuse, including digital or drawn material, subjecting them to stricter penalties, registration, and pretrial detention. Federal prosecutors, law enforcement, and judges handling these cases are also affected, as are child victims depicted in the material, who gain the same evidence-access rights as victims in real child pornography cases.
Why does it matter?
Removing the statute of limitations means charges can be brought no matter how much time has passed since an offense. Adding a pretrial detention presumption and mandatory supervised release expands the legal consequences beyond what previously applied to this category of material.
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Read the official bill on Congress.govMake the call
Where does it stand?
- IntroducedOct 21, 2025
- Senate committee
- Senate vote
- HouseYou are here · Dec 17, 2025
- The president's desk
Right now: it passed the Senate, and the official record shows nothing new since. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Held at the desk.