G:\CMTE\JD\15\CRIM\MB_023.XML AMENDMENT IN THE TO OFFERED BY NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE H.R. 1865 MR. GOODLATTE OF VIRGINIA Strike all that follows after the enacting clause and insert the following: 1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Allow States and Vic- 3 tims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017’’. 4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 5 It is the sense of Congress that— 6 (1) section 230 of the Communications Act of 7 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230; commonly known as the 8 ‘‘Communications Decency Act of 1996’’) was never 9 intended to provide legal protection to websites that 10 unlawfully promote and facilitate prostitution and 11 contribute to sex trafficking; 12 (2) websites that promote and facilitate pros- 13 titution have been reckless in allowing the sale of sex 14 trafficking victims and have done nothing to prevent 15 the trafficking of children and victims of force, 16 fraud, and coercion; and g:\VHLC\120817\120817.011.xml December 8, 2017 (9:26 a.m.) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:26 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 000000 (681897 6) PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\HRBRAZ~1\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\MB_023.XML G:\CMTE\JD\15\CRIM\MB_023.XML 2 1 (3) clarification of such section is warranted to 2 ensure that such section does not provide such pro- 3 tection to such websites. 4 SEC. 3. PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION AND RECKLESS DIS- 5 6 REGARD OF SEX TRAFFICKING. (a) PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION.—Chapter 117 of 7 title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 8 section 2421 the following: 9 ‘‘§ 2421A. Promotion or facilitation of prostitution 10 11 and reckless disregard of sex trafficking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever uses or operates a facil- 12 ity or means of interstate or foreign commerce or attempts 13 to do so with the intent to promote or facilitate the pros14 titution of another person shall be fined under this title, 15 imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. 16 ‘‘(b) AGGRAVATED VIOLATION.—Whoever uses or op- 17 erates a facility or means of interstate or foreign com18 merce with the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitu19 tion of another person and— 20 21 ‘‘(1) promotes or facilitates the prostitution of 5 or more persons; or 22 ‘‘(2) acts in reckless disregard of the fact that 23 such conduct contributed to sex trafficking, in viola- 24 tion of 1591(a), g:\VHLC\120817\120817.011.xml December 8, 2017 (9:26 a.m.) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:26 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 000000 (681897 6) PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\HRBRAZ~1\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\MB_023.XML G:\CMTE\JD\15\CRIM\MB_023.XML 3 1 shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more 2 than 25 years, or both. 3 ‘‘(c) CIVIL RECOVERY.—Any person injured by rea- 4 son of a violation of section 2421A(b) may recover dam5 ages and reasonable attorneys’ fees in an action before any 6 appropriate United States district court. Consistent with 7 section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 8 U.S.C. 230), a defendant may be held liable, under this 9 subsection, where promotion or facilitation of prostitution 10 activity includes responsibility for the creation or develop11 ment of all or part of the information or content provided 12 through any interactive computer service. 13 ‘‘(d) MANDATORY RESTITUTION.—Notwithstanding 14 sections 3663 or 3663A and in addition to any other civil 15 or criminal penalties authorized by law, the court shall 16 order restitution for any offense under this section. 17 ‘‘(e) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.—It shall be an affirm- 18 ative defense to a charge of violating subsection (a) where 19 the defendant proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, 20 that the promotion or facilitation of prostitution is legal 21 in the jurisdiction where the promotion or facilitation was 22 targeted.’’. 23 (c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 24 such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relat25 ing to section 2421 the following: g:\VHLC\120817\120817.011.xml December 8, 2017 (9:26 a.m.) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:26 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 000000 (681897 6) PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\HRBRAZ~1\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\MB_023.XML G:\CMTE\JD\15\CRIM\MB_023.XML 4 ‘‘2421A. Promotion or facilitation of prostitution and reckless disregard of sex trafficking.’’. 1 SEC. 4. COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT. 2 Section 230(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 3 (47 U.S.C. 230(e)) is amended by adding at the end the 4 following: 5 ‘‘(5) NO EFFECT ON STATE LAWS CONFORMING 6 TO 18 U.S.C. 1591(A) OR 2421A.—Nothing 7 tion shall be construed to impair or limit any charge 8 in a criminal prosecution brought under State law— 9 ‘‘(A) if the conduct underlying the charge 10 constitutes a violation of section 2421A of title 11 18, United States Code, and promotion or fa- 12 cilitation of prostitution is illegal in the jurisdic- 13 tion where the defendant’s promotion or facili- 14 tation of prostitution was targeted; or in this sec- 15 ‘‘(B) if the conduct underlying the charge 16 constitutes a violation of section 1591(a) of title 17 18, United States Code.’’. 18 SEC. 5. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 19 Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 20 Act shall be construed to limit or preempt any civil action 21 or criminal prosecution under Federal law or State law 22 (including State statutory law and State common law) 23 filed before or after the day before the date of enactment 24 of this Act that was not limited or preempted by section g:\VHLC\120817\120817.011.xml December 8, 2017 (9:26 a.m.) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:26 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 000000 (681897 6) PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\HRBRAZ~1\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\MB_023.XML G:\CMTE\JD\15\CRIM\MB_023.XML 5 1 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230), 2 as such section was in effect on the day before the date 3 of enactment of this Act. ◊ g:\VHLC\120817\120817.011.xml December 8, 2017 (9:26 a.m.) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:26 Dec 08, 2017 Jkt 000000 (681897 6) PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 C:\USERS\HRBRAZ~1\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\7.0\GEN\C\MB_023.XML