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<dc:title>119 HR 3492 RH: Protect Children’s Innocence Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2025-09-26</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<form>
<distribution-code display="yes">IB</distribution-code> 
<calendar display="yes">Union Calendar No. 265</calendar> 
<congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session> 
<legis-num display="yes">H. R. 3492</legis-num> 
<associated-doc role="report" display="yes">[Report No. 119–311]</associated-doc> 
<current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber> 
<action display="yes"> 
<action-date date="20250519">May 19, 2025</action-date> 
<action-desc><sponsor name-id="G000596">Ms. Greene of Georgia</sponsor> (for herself, <cosponsor name-id="C001132">Mr. Crane</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="F000475">Mr. Finstad</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="L000596">Mrs. Luna</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B000740">Mrs. Bice</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001211">Mrs. Miller of Illinois</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="C001120">Mr. Crenshaw</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001239">Mr. McGuire</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="K000392">Mr. Kustoff</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B001302">Mr. Biggs of Arizona</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B001316">Mr. Burlison</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="T000478">Ms. Tenney</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001077">Mr. Higgins of Louisiana</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B001317">Mr. Brecheen</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="N000026">Mr. Nehls</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="W000814">Mr. Weber of Texas</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001052">Mr. Harris of Maryland</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="G000576">Mr. Grothman</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001082">Mr. Hern of Oklahoma</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="C001129">Mr. Collins</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="O000175">Mr. Ogles</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B001291">Mr. Babin</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="C001116">Mr. Clyde</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="D000594">Ms. De La Cruz</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001096">Ms. Hageman</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="O000086">Mr. Owens</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="P000609">Mr. Palmer</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="T000480">Mr. Timmons</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="N000190">Mr. Norman</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001222">Mr. Miller of Ohio</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S001214">Mr. Steube</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="J000304">Mr. Jackson of Texas</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001235">Mr. Moore of West Virginia</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="C001108">Mr. Comer</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="G000603">Mr. Gill of Texas</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="B001307">Mr. Baird</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001240">Mr. McDowell</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001086">Mrs. Harshbarger</cosponsor>, and <cosponsor name-id="G000589">Mr. Gooden</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HJU00">Committee on the Judiciary</committee-name></action-desc> 
</action> 
<action display="yes"> 
<action-date date="20250926">September 26, 2025</action-date> 
<action-desc>Additional sponsors: <cosponsor name-id="R000619">Mr. Rulli</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="G000591">Mr. Guest</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="M001212">Mr. Moore of Alabama</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="C001103">Mr. Carter of Georgia</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="G000565">Mr. Gosar</cosponsor>, and <cosponsor name-id="H001091">Mrs. Hinson</cosponsor></action-desc> 
</action> 
<action display="yes"> 
<action-date date="20250926">September 26, 2025</action-date> 
<action-desc>Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed<pagebreak/></action-desc> 
</action> 
<legis-type>A BILL</legis-type> 
<official-title display="yes">To amend section 116 of title 18, United States Code, with respect to genital and bodily mutilation and chemical castration of minors.<pagebreak/></official-title> 
</form> 
<legis-body display-enacting-clause="yes-display-enacting-clause" changed="added" style="OLC" committee-id="HJU00" reported-display-style="italic" id="H926B4444464143F29BD576E57CF6E996"> 
<section id="HA4F2756948B4497882D04EFA06217230" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Protect Children’s Innocence Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H42ED14DE0E824AC7956375F76983764E"><enum>2.</enum><header>Genital and bodily mutilation of a minor; chemical castration of a minor</header> <subsection id="HF761A5C941EE4D7694CB3E35F6D40ED3"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 116 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: </text> 
<quoted-block style="USC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HEAEB01C4D3A948079EA9E888504D9665"> 
<section id="HFC9FB1C9119D4E2D83105188E491BFE3"><enum>116.</enum><header>Genital and bodily mutilation of a minor; chemical castration of a minor</header> 
<subsection id="H5995040B3F4545ECB5C552332E6D9A88"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Genital or bodily mutilation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Except as provided in subsection (g), whoever, in any circumstance described in subsection (d), knowingly performs, or attempts to perform, genital or bodily mutilation on another person who is a minor, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.</text></subsection> <subsection id="HF67AAEAFC3334D8889904501581F2D5E" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Chemical castration of a minor</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Except as provided in subsection (g), whoever, in any circumstance described in subsection (d), knowingly chemically castrates a minor shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="HEC2378150AE3476C9BEE512B1AEC16F8" commented="no"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Certain offense related to female genital mutilation</header><text>Except as provided in subsection (g), whoever, in any circumstance described in subsection (d), knowingly—</text> <paragraph id="HC6F86544CE0A462C86FBF48188B60544" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">facilitates or consents to female genital mutilation of a minor; or</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H88A7C2B355B84355BA8CCC9BFFC927F6" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><text>transports a minor for the purpose of the performance of female genital mutilation on such minor,</text></paragraph><continuation-text commented="no" continuation-text-level="subsection">shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both. </continuation-text></subsection> <subsection id="H06DB8ED8E7D14CF599F1FFF30E334486"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Circumstances described</header><text>For the purposes of subsections (a) and (b), the circumstances described in this subsection are that—</text> 
<paragraph id="HD342AD13B5154AB1BEDF94C12A540E6E"><enum>(1)</enum><text>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) or (b); </text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HD0A8A4E99F9244458C5EA530916A2E96"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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) or (b); </text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HA4DFA3AB40F944288476E7657C3627E1"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any payment of any kind was made, directly or indirectly, in furtherance of or in connection with the conduct described in subsection (a) or (b) using any means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HA679EF632EBF4346BD89B088A2C2947C"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the defendant transmitted in interstate or foreign commerce any communication relating to or in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection (a) or (b) 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 manner, including by computer, mail, wire, or electromagnetic transmission; </text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HABE5E639369440A09D12A2E3767E5F84"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any instrument, item, substance, or other object that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce was used to perform the conduct described in subsection (a) or (b); </text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HAA34F0768C3D4034A6270406AC7F7B97"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the conduct described in subsection (a) or (b) occurred within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or any territory or possession of the United States; or </text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H1DBD8F47AA8A44CB9125E9F664E2EB82"><enum>(7)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the conduct described in subsection (a) or (b) otherwise occurred in or affected interstate or foreign commerce. </text></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H74A8353328AD44DCAB27A0363CAC6B4E"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Prohibition on certain defense</header><text>It shall not be a defense to a prosecution under subsection (a) that female genital mutilation is required as a matter of religion, custom, tradition, ritual, or standard practice.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="H9C5DB2913DAE4C9E878C444E09DF60E0"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Prohibition on prosecution of victim</header><text>No person who is chemically castrated or on whom genital or bodily mutilation is performed may be arrested or prosecuted for an offense under this section.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H3B4DD26AA0F54670B8ED16E5482147FE"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Exceptions</header> <paragraph id="H996DBC1081A646FA952A384B279EB685"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Procedures</header> <subparagraph id="H17E77CF1536B41128FE864D8822A5CA3"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Genital or bodily mutilation or chemical castration is not a violation of this section if such genital or bodily mutilation or chemical castration is— </text> 
<clause id="H4E687FB53D884C7EB96A51D9D907C69D"><enum>(i)</enum><text>necessary to the health of the minor on whom it is conducted, and is conducted by a person licensed in the place of such conduct as a medical practitioner; or </text></clause> <clause id="H3B7989A8231643699D25074B143A3B75"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>in the case of female genital mutilation, performed on a minor in labor or who has just given birth and is performed for medical purposes connected with that labor or birth by a person licensed in the place it is performed as a medical practitioner, midwife, or person in training to become such a practitioner or midwife.</text></clause></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H757576511F7F40D29C4E441157F7FDEE"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Health of a minor</header><text>For the purposes of subparagraph (A), the health of a minor does not include—</text> <clause id="HE62E838BB6C249A1942426FB23C06683"><enum>(i)</enum><text>mental, behavioral, or emotional distress; or</text></clause> 
<clause id="HEE632EE81BE84B849D19CD1DE04FBB32"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder. </text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HD62F4A1DB5B346DABF0C3D163EF87496" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Exemption</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Genital or bodily mutilation or chemical castration is not a violation of this section if such genital or bodily mutilation or chemical castration is conducted with respect to any of the following individuals:</text> 
<subparagraph id="H9D3D26A85CAC457389A394F1345BEF89" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">An individual with both ovarian and testicular tissue.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HF9C43907F75B470784E3B52C00343EA0" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text>An individual with respect to whom a physician has determined through genetic or biochemical testing that the individual does not have normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H1CE08F3B65AA4B2CB2C976922EB5A31D" commented="no"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">An individual experiencing infection, disease, injury, or disorder caused or exacerbated by a previous genital or bodily mutilation procedure or chemical castration.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H286A85420B9C4647BF98943F4723DE8A" commented="no"><enum>(D)</enum><text>An individual suffering from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the individual in imminent danger of impairment of a major bodily function unless the procedure is performed.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H6288222409E04A2F8EE9E0673950ED30" commented="no"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">An individual diagnosed with precocious puberty, to the extent such genital or bodily mutilation or chemical castration is for the purpose of normalizing puberty. </text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="HF966365F11A44FEE92EE7C5965F10458"><enum>(h)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In this section:</text> 
<paragraph id="HEC56DD616B924AE2AB10D1F5D3098CA2"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Genital or bodily mutilation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>genital or bodily mutilation</term> means, with respect to an individual, any of the following:</text> <subparagraph id="H70BAEE2780814739908AEA383E428C81" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text>Female genital mutilation. </text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HA1BC8C2EB0854470AEAF9B9D51F7B709"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any surgery performed for the purpose of changing the body of such individual to correspond to a sex that differs from their biological sex, including—</text> <clause id="HFCAC843ED4E94890B01478F34A82DF18"><enum>(i)</enum><text>castration;</text></clause> 
<clause id="HF7DED162557A4FEEB3833CDC6E409644"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>orchiectomy;</text></clause> <clause id="HE7B3CE81BC314E18AD0CE5B2E70F9250"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>scrotoplasty;</text></clause> 
<clause id="HFBFC431A04FB4F33A9E013DE9E4FE6ED"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>vasectomy;</text></clause> <clause id="H460B44053D4F4418B78CFB3044845CBA"><enum>(v)</enum><text>hysterectomy;</text></clause> 
<clause id="H14285609EABE46479C93283B60317CA8"><enum>(vi)</enum><text>oophorectomy;</text></clause> <clause id="H10BE33D0521248DFB42527728325E389"><enum>(vii)</enum><text>ovariectomy;</text></clause> 
<clause id="H86872623190741D3B24DC191B1FD2E51"><enum>(viii)</enum><text>metoidioplasty; </text></clause> <clause id="HE3331AEB26CB425AB67396B1846BCEC3"><enum>(ix)</enum><text>penectomy; </text></clause> 
<clause id="HCF03CD9633A44904A085E54DA20A8F66"><enum>(x)</enum><text>phalloplasty; </text></clause> <clause id="H3D8767097AB14563929D94EAFFB11E89"><enum>(xi)</enum><text>vaginoplasty; </text></clause> 
<clause id="HF046D820262042C2888328556668A3DC"><enum>(xii)</enum><text>vaginectomy; </text></clause> <clause id="H19F7BEE4CBDA4F079A9BFA0119A6F38A"><enum>(xiii)</enum><text>vulvoplasty; </text></clause> 
<clause id="H4C2E64E362DF4FF4B1E676C607420360"><enum>(xiv)</enum><text>reduction thyrochondroplasty;</text></clause> <clause id="H896EF54160CC4839BD94DCC9690DE5F9"><enum>(xv)</enum><text>chondrolaryngoplasty; and</text></clause> 
<clause id="HBC5D17C00AC14A6F95FEB02E7F8A8604"><enum>(xvi)</enum><text>mastectomy.</text></clause></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HB5FE8E6AE4E84498B65D1653DB3FBD1E"><enum>(C)</enum><text>Any plastic surgery that feminizes or masculinizes the facial or other physiological features for the purposes described in subparagraph (B).</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HFEE88B099DDD46ED88E14C33E3F30C84"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any placement of chest implants to create feminine breasts for the purposes described in subparagraph (B).</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HB91510C255FD4A118BFF5818B0383357"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any placement of fat or artificial implants in the gluteal region for the purposes described in subparagraph (B).</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H1CD1A252242F4B3D9886DD8A14ED436B" commented="no"><enum>(F)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any surgery to reconstruct the fixed part of the urethra, whether or not such surgery includes a metoidioplasty or a phalloplasty, for the purposes described in subparagraph (B). </text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HBC22790C7AAA40C6B814A955AF463FFB"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Chemical castration</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"> The term <term>chemical castration</term> means administering, supplying, prescribing, dispensing, distributing, or otherwise conveying to an individual medications for the purposes described in paragraph (1)(B), including—</text> 
<subparagraph id="H7068D9F478D14998B798EFCA6DC8681E"><enum>(A)</enum><text>gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues or other puberty-blocking drugs to stop or delay normal puberty;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HE116C670BB2848C5A0C72F40685AFE94"><enum>(B)</enum><text>testosterone or other androgens to biological females at doses that are supraphysiologic to the female sex; and</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H22B88EBA794748A09EC93C6DF6216C3E"><enum>(C)</enum><text>estrogen to biological males at doses that are supraphysiologic to the male sex.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H51A3C25DBE014EAFB3CC69FF665019FE" commented="no"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Biological sex</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>biological sex</term> means, with respect to a person, the classification of the person as male or female at birth.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HCF5D264676EA4BB6A02AF1F5D0D5EBD9"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Female genital mutilation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>female genital mutilation</term> means any procedure performed for non-medical reasons that involves partial or total removal of, or other injury to, the external female genitalia, and includes—</text> <subparagraph id="H1408D0814AD443C7AB53EBED662DDB11"><enum>(A)</enum><text>a clitoridectomy or the partial or total removal of the clitoris or the prepuce or clitoral hood; </text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H26F104FD40A6438A906B5FF1361017ED"><enum>(B)</enum><text>excision or the partial or total removal (with or without excision of the clitoris) of the labia minora or the labia majora, or both;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H4E5A65A52C6E43EA8AA3E7F48E28B93A"><enum>(C)</enum><text>infibulation or the narrowing of the vaginal opening (with or without excision of the clitoris); or </text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HBEDAB6276CDC41138D0F735C3AD8C49D"><enum>(D)</enum><text>other procedures that are harmful to the external female genitalia, including pricking, incising, scraping, or cauterizing the genital area.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H8FACA1F07B3244C9B48AE51B497C14A8"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Minor</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>minor</term> means any person under the age of eighteen years.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HCFF0B69A75DA4172A0CA5B9B979482A4"><enum>(6)</enum><header>Male</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>male</term> means a person who naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but for a congenital anomaly, historical accident, or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes sperm for fertilization.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H17A8FEC882184501860CC07149FF4400"><enum>(7)</enum><header>Female</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>female</term> means a person who naturally has, had, will have, or would have, but for a congenital anomaly, historical accident, or intentional or unintentional disruption, the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes eggs for fertilization.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection> 
<subsection id="HE0E096C73AD24CB083A7F138899B5763"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text>The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/18/7">chapter 7</external-xref> of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item related to section 116 and inserting the following: </text> <quoted-block style="USC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB5DD3EBB51F64E99BD5E51CD65F39DD5"> <toc regeneration="no-regeneration"> <toc-entry level="section">116. Genital and bodily mutilation of a minor; chemical castration of a minor. </toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section> </legis-body> <endorsement display="yes"> <action-date date="20250926">September 26, 2025</action-date> <action-desc>Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed</action-desc></endorsement> </bill> 

