Floor Statement - Amendment No. 3812: Pornography

REVISION OF RECORD CONCERNING AMENDMENT NO. 3812

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, prior to the passage of HR3494 by the Senate and House, Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 2252 and 2252A permitted prosecution for possession of child pornography only when it could be alleged that an individual possessed three or more pictures or images of child pornography. When the original Senate substitute to H.R. 3494 was reported out of the Judiciary Committee, no agreement had been reached on amending the federal child pornography laws to prohibit the possession of even one picture or image of child pornography.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Senators LEAHY, DEWINE, and SESSIONS, we were able to reach agreement on that issue. The final bill makes it clear that the United States has "Zero Tolerance" for the possession of any child pornography. Unfortunately, Senators LEAHY, DEWINE, and SESSIONS were inadvertently omitted from the list of cosponsors of Senate amendment 3812 to HR3494, which incorporated that agreement. The RECORD should be corrected to reflect their work on, and cosponsorship of, this important amendment.