COERCION AND SEXUAL ABUSE FREE ENVIRONMENT ACT

On 2026-01-12, Representative Laurel M. Lee (R-FL-15) delivered a floor speech titled "COERCION AND SEXUAL ABUSE FREE ENVIRONMENT ACT" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered the environment, crime and justice. It referenced legislation: HR6732.

COERCION AND SEXUAL ABUSE FREE ENVIRONMENT ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026)] [House] [Pages H632-H634] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COERCION AND SEXUAL ABUSE FREE ENVIRONMENT ACT 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),''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona. General Leave Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arizona? There was no objection. 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, [[Page H633]] 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. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 1630 Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 6732, the CSAFE Act, which creates a new crime to prohibit people from compelling children into physically harming themselves or animals. Coercing kids online to hurt themselves or others is spreading harm that all of us need to take seriously. We have seen an alarming rise in episodes of this in recent years, and it has become clear that there is no Federal statute that effectively addresses this extreme misconduct. Violent online groups have emerged on popular platforms geared toward children and teenagers. These groups, and individuals acting alone, encourage kids to commit horrifying acts, including cutting themselves, creating child sex abuse material, sexually exploiting other children, harming animals, swatting, doxing, and, in the most extreme cases, taking their own lives. This happened to Jay Taylor, a 13-year-old who was struggling with an eating disorder, gender identity problems, and a sense of isolation. He found a connection on the online platform Discord. Members of 764, an online network that targets and exploits vulnerable young people, got their hooks into him and devastatingly coerced Jay into taking his own life while live-streaming. The FBI agents who worked on his case repeatedly encountered roadblocks while attempting to get prosecutors to file charges in the case, with one U.S. attorney telling the agents that it simply was not possible to do anything. The bill before us now, the CSAFE Act, seeks to address the shortcomings in existing Federal criminal law when it comes to investigating cases and prosecuting criminals who coerce and extort children online. I thank the chairman for working with me to address some of the constitutional concerns I raised at our committee's markup of this legislation back in December of last year. I am very pleased to support this bill today, which I think is legally seaworthy and will survive any constitutional challenges. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee). Ms. LEE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6732, the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act, and I thank my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) for his leadership on this critical issue. Madam Speaker, as technology advances, so do the tactics of predators who seek to harm our children. Current Federal statutes were not written with this kind of remote, organized, and coercive abuse in mind. When the law lags behind the tactics of predators, Congress has an obligation to act. We are now confronting a deeply disturbing trend in which organized online networks target vulnerable minors, manipulate them through fear and blackmail, and coerce them into committing acts of violence against themselves, others, or even animals. These online groups use mainstream platforms to gain access to children, extract personal information or images, and then weaponize that material. The result is severe psychological coercion and abuse--children forced into self-mutilation, cruelty to animals, or even suicide, all at the direction of anonymous criminals who often operate across borders and behind e

Referenced legislation: HR6732, HR6732