Senators Dan Dawson, Herman Quirmbach and David Rowley signed House File 2239. The bill amends previous legislation so that a person who knowingly disseminates or exhibits obscene materials to children will now be charged with an aggravated misdemeanor.
This change in the language also increases the penalties associated with this kind of behavior. Previously the charge would carry a serious misdemeanor. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for a year and a fine of at least $430. By changing this to an aggravated misdemeanor, the penalties for distributing obscene materials becomes imprisonment for no more than two years, along with a fine of at least $855.
The bill passed through subcommittee with little effort. Democrat Sen. Quirmbach was the only one to provide any resistance to the bill.
“We’re upping the penalty here for what is obviously a type of action nobody I think in his right mind can support,” Quirmbach said. “I’m reading here in the background. There were only five defendants last year. It seems to me the current set of penalties is probably pretty effective in deterring this crime. I was wondering what the reason was for upping the penalty?”
All senators on the committee did sign off on the bill in the end.
