{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr3317-115/featured_safe-act-of-2017-1512698487.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr3317-115/featured_large_safe-act-of-2017-1512698487.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr3317-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-07-19","title_override":"Should the Penalty For Female Genital Mutilation be Increased From 5 to 15 Years in Prison?","summary_override":"

This bill — known as the SAFE Act — would increase the penalty for female genital mutilation from 5 years imprisonment to 15 years. It would also express the sense of Congress that states should have laws in place that require healthcare professionals, teachers, and other school employees to report to local law enforcement any instance of suspected female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation has affected more than 200 million women around the world living today and can involve the removal or cutting of the clitoris, sewing together vaginal opening, or other harmful procedures. It can lead to infections, severe pain, bleeding, painful menstruation and intercourse, childbirth complications, shock, and death.

The bill’s full title is the Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act.

","official_title":"To amend title 18, United States Code, to increase the penalty for female genital mutilation, and for other purposes.","short_title":"SAFE Act of 2017","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act of 2017 or the SAFE Act of 2017\n\n(Sec. 2) This bill amends the federal criminal code to increase from 5 to 15 years the maximum prison term for an individual who is convicted of female genital mutilation.\n\n(Sec. 3) It expresses the sense of Congress that states should have in place laws that require health care professionals, teachers, and other school employees to report to local law enforcement agencies any instance of suspected female genital mutilation.","summarized":true,"cost":500000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2022-2027 period.","impact":"Those convicted of female genital mutilation; and state governments.","argument_for":"Female genital mutilation is a far too common, outrageous assault on women and girls around the world and here in the U.S. This bill significantly increases the penalty for female genital mutilation and encourages states to have laws with reporting requirements for suspected cases of it.","argument_against":"While female genital mutilation is a significant problem around the world, it’s unlikely that increasing the prison term associated with it will do much to deter people carrying it out while increasing the cost of incarceration.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr3317-115","bill_id":"hr3317-115","formal_id":"H.R. 3317","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2017-12-06T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2017-12-05T18:45:58.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/3317","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr3317rfs/html/BILLS-115hr3317rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr3317-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/3317/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2017-12-06","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":604,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU08","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSJU","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr3317-115","details":"/api/bills/hr3317-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr3317-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr3317-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr3317-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":5,"slug":"hr3317-115-safe-act-of-2017","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr3317-115","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":4709,"yea_vote_count":4313,"nay_vote_count":381,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["crime-and-police"],"issue_ids":["crime-and-police"],"sponsor_id":93}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"crime-and-police","name":"Crime & Police","slug":"crime-and-police","description":"Federal legislation related to the prevention of crimes(from assault to organized crime to juvenile crime), firearms and explosives, correctional facilities and terrorism. 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It amounts to torture, as does circumcision at a bris. As a vet tech, I hate that it is still legal to declaw cats. But at least we use anesthesia and pain meds!!!","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/e01a26c0-4c0e-4593-881b-3a860b5bada9"},"body":"Yes. It amounts to torture, as does circumcision at a bris. As a vet tech, I hate that it is still legal to declaw cats. But at least we use anesthesia and pain meds!!!","stance":"yea","created_at":"2017-12-03T18:33:07.372Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/e01a26c0-4c0e-4593-881b-3a860b5bada9.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr3317-115","user_id":"GWda0qNZ","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Should the Penalty For Female Genital Mutilation be Increased From 5 to 15 Years in Prison?