Why it Matters
Three bills moving through the Senate Judiciary Committee — covering carjacking prosecutions, AI chatbot age verification, and nondisclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases — are headed toward a vote at the April 23 business meeting, along with five judicial nominations. Each bill has bipartisan cosponsors on the committee itself, signaling real momentum. For tech companies, survivors' advocates, and federal prosecutors, the outcomes could reshape legal standards that have been on the books for decades or, in the case of AI regulation, establish new ones entirely.
The Bills on the Table
Carjacking: S.1572, sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), would lower the prosecutorial burden for federal carjacking charges. Under current law, prosecutors must prove a defendant acted with intent to cause death or serious bodily harm. The bill would replace that standard with a "knowingly" threshold — meaning the government would only need to show the defendant knew they were taking a vehicle by force. Enhanced penalties, including potential death sentences, would still require proof that a carjacking intentionally resulted in death.
The bill has drawn broad support within the committee. Cosponsors include Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO). On April 14, Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) posted publicly that "outdated federal law allows carjackers to walk free unless prosecutors can prove intent to kill or harm," framing the current statute as a gap that prosecutors cannot reliably close.
AI Chatbots: S.3062, the GUARD Act, sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), would require AI chatbot operators to verify users' ages — through government ID or comparable tools — before granting access, and to re-verify existing accounts periodically. Minors would be barred entirely from "AI companion" products designed to simulate emotional relationships. All chatbots would be required to disclose at the start of each conversation, and every 30 minutes thereafter, that they are AI systems. Criminal penalties of up to $100,000 per offense would apply to developers who knowingly allow chatbots to solicit sexual content from minors or encourage self-harm.
On April 14, both Hawley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) posted communications calling for congressional action to protect children online, with Durbin stating: "I am joining Senator Hawley and New Mexico AG Raúl Torrez to call on Congress to pass legislation that would protect our kids and hold Big Tech accountable." Cosponsors on the committee include Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Britt, and Lee.
Industry has been paying attention. Grindr LLC filed lobbying disclosures on "artificial intelligence and age-verification" issues in both the Third and Fourth Quarters of 2025, at $60,000 per quarter. Pinterest filed a First Quarter 2026 disclosure on "online safety, content moderation, artificial intelligence, age-verification, and data privacy," at $70,000. NCTA — The Internet & Television Association filed a Fourth Quarter 2025 disclosure on "privacy, cybersecurity, age verification, and online safety of minors," at $130,000. The Alliance for Secure AI Action specifically named S.3062 in its Fourth Quarter 2025 filing. NCTA's PAC contributed $10,000 to Sen. Cruz during the past two years, according to FEC records.
Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures: S.3966, known as TREY'S Law and sponsored by Sen. Cruz, would void and make unenforceable any contractual clause — including retroactively — that prevents victims or witnesses from disclosing sexual abuse of minors. Settlement payment amounts could still be kept confidential, but the underlying facts of abuse could not be silenced by contract. The bill would also override state laws permitting enforcement of such clauses.
Cosponsors on the committee include Sens. Britt, Schmitt, and Welch. RAINN lobbied on sexual assault legislation through multiple quarters of 2025, as did Just Detention International on related survivor protections.
The Nominations
The committee will also vote on five judicial nominations: Sheria Akins Clarke to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Kathleen S. Lane to the District of Montana, Evan Rikhye to the District Court of the Virgin Islands, Kara Marie Westercamp to the U.S. Court of International Trade, and Kenneth Sorenson as U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii.
All four district and trade court nominees received confirmation hearings in late March. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced Clarke at her hearing; Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) urged support for Lane. Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) welcomed the Westercamp family to the committee for Kara Westercamp's hearing. Sen. Blumenthal posted after the March hearings that he had "slammed Trump nominees for lack of impartiality, repeatedly deflecting basic questions about the 2020 election and January 6th attack on the Capitol," specifically naming Clarke, Lane, and Rikhye — a signal that Democratic opposition may surface during the April 23 vote.
The business meeting is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. in 216 Hart Senate Office Building, chaired by Grassley.
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