United States 116th Congress Status: In Committee 6 R cosponsors

S 2017 — Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019 This bill modifies the general prohibition on female genital mutilation. Specifically, the bill prohibits this conduct when it occurs in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (A 2018 court ruling held the criminal offense of female genital mutilation to be unconstitutional because the statute did not include any jurisdictional elements, such as a requirement that the charged offense have a connection to or effect on interstate commerce.)

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

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

The bill clarifies the relationship between female genital mutilation and interstate or foreign commerce in the definition of offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 116.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 116(a)

    , in any circumstance described in subsection (e),

    This change specifies that the prohibition applies when actions are connected to interstate or foreign commerce.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 116

    (e) For purposes of subsection (a), the circumstances described in this subsection are that-- (1) the defendant or victim traveled in interstate or foreign commerce, or traveled using a means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, in furtherance of or in connection with the conduct described in subsection (a); (2) the defendant used a means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce in furtherance of or in connection with the conduct described in subsection (a); (3) any payment of any kind was made, directly or indirectly, in furtherance of or in connection with the conduct described in subsection (a) using any means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce; (4) the defendant transmitted in interstate or foreign commerce any communication relating to or in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection (a) using any means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means or in any manner, including by computer, mail, wire, or electromagnetic transmission; (5) the conduct described in subsection (a) occurred within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or within the District of Columbia or any territory or possession of the United States; or (6) the conduct described in subsection (a) otherwise occurred in or affected interstate or foreign commerce.

    This addition defines the specific circumstances under which actions related to female genital mutilation can be prosecuted under federal law.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 541 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (541)

541 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 541 →

"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

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 S 2017 do?
Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019 This bill modifies the general prohibition on female genital mutilation. Specifically, the bill prohibits this conduct when it occurs in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (A 2018 court ruling held the criminal offense of female genital mutilation to be unconstitutional because the statute did not include any jurisdictional elements, such as a requirement that the charged offense have a connection to or effect on interstate commerce.)
Who sponsors S 2017?
S 2017 is sponsored by Ernst, Joni (Republican), Hyde-Smith, Cindy (Republican), McSally, Martha (Republican), Capito, Shelley Moore (Republican), Fischer, Deb (Republican), and Blackburn, Marsha (Republican).
What is the current status of S 2017?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track S 2017?
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