Bills · 2023-2024 Regular Session
Relating to: protection from prosecution for employees of libraries and educational institutions possessing obscene materials.
Indians and tribal issues Obscenity Parochial and private schools School — Employee
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- Law, not reached
Unfamiliar terms? Glossary
What this bill does
Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, it is a crime to import, print, sell, possess for sale, publish,
exhibit, play, or distribute any obscene material; to produce or perform in any
obscene performance; to require, as a condition to the purchase of periodicals, that
a retailer accept obscene material; to distribute, exhibit, or play any obscene material
to a person under the age of 18 years; or to possess with intent to distribute, exhibit,
or play to a person under the age of 18 years any obscene material. Obscene material
means a writing, picture, film, or other recording that the average person, applying
contemporary community standards, would find appeals to the prurient interest if
taken as a whole; that under contemporary community standards describes or shows
sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and that lacks serious literary, artistic,
political, educational, or scientific value, if taken as a whole.
Under current law, no person who is an employee, a member of the board of
directors, or a trustee of certain educational institutions and libraries is liable to
prosecution for an obscene materials violation for acts or omissions while in his or
her capacity as an employee, a member of the board of directors, or a trustee of such
an institution. This bill removes public elementary and secondary schools, private
schools, and tribal schools from the list of institutions for which an employee is
protected from prosecution for an obscene materials violation.
Sponsors
Full history
- May 24, 2023 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Jacque and Nass; cosponsored by Representatives Allen, Bodden, Brandtjen, Maxey, Wichgers and Murphy
- May 24, 2023 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
- Jul 18, 2023 · Senate
Senator Tomczyk added as a coauthor
- Jul 19, 2023 · Senate
Senator Knodl added as a coauthor
- Dec 12, 2023 · Senate
Representative Michalski added as a cosponsor
- Apr 15, 2024 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1