United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 7 R · 7 D · 1 I cosponsors

HR 1218 — SHIELD Act of 2025

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 11, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 15 sponsors

    1 primary, 14 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 3 parties (7 R · 7 D · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2025 or the SHIELD Act of 2025This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses related to the distribution of sexual exploitative content. First, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) an intimate visual depiction of a recognizable adult engaged in sexual conduct. To constitute a crime, certain elements must be met, including that the distribution must be nonconsensual; the depiction is not a matter of public concern; and the distribution must be intended to cause harm or cause harm. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.Second, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) a visual depiction of a nude minor with intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade the minor, or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to three years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds a new section to prohibit the distribution of intimate visual depictions without consent and outlines penalties and forfeiture provisions related to such offenses.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 853

    Section 413 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853), with the exception of subsections (a) and (d), applies to the criminal forfeiture of property pursuant to subparagraph (A).

    Establishes that procedures from the Controlled Substances Act regarding forfeiture apply to offenses concerning intimate visual depictions.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 2264

    ``(c) Forfeiture.--Restitution shall be available as provided in section 2264 of this title.''

    Clarifies that restitution applies to crimes under the new section concerning intimate visual depictions.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 2264

    a new section is added to chapter 88 of title 18 to prohibit distribution of intimate visual depictions without consent.

    Introduces criminal penalties for the knowing distribution of intimate images without consent, enhancing legal protections against such exploitation.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 14 co-sponsors · 532 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (14)

Not signed on (532)

532 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 532 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 1218 do?
Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2025 or the SHIELD Act of 2025This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses related to the distribution of sexual exploitative content. First, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) an intimate visual depiction of a recognizable adult engaged in sexual conduct. To constitute a crime, certain elements must be met, including that the distribution must be nonconsensual; the depiction is not a matter of public concern; and the distribution must be intended to cause harm or cause harm. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.Second, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly mail or distribute (or intentionally threaten to mail or distribute) a visual depiction of a nude minor with intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade the minor, or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term of up to three years, or both; mandatory restitution; and the forfeiture of material involved in the offense, property constituting or derived from the proceeds from the offense, and property used to commit or facilitate the offense.
Who sponsors HR 1218?
HR 1218 is sponsored by Van Drew, Jefferson (Republican), Dean, Madeleine (Democratic), Mace, Nancy (Republican), Fitzpatrick, Brian K. (Republican), Moran, Nathaniel (Republican), Salazar, Maria Elvira (Republican), Nehls, Troy E. (Republican), Kiley, Kevin (Independent), Plaskett, Stacey E. (Democratic), McBath, Lucy (Democratic), Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" (Democratic), Scanlon, Mary Gay (Democratic), Vindman, Eugene Simon (Democratic), Malliotakis, Nicole (Republican), and Dingell, Debbie (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 1218?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 11, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 1218?
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