If passed, Senate Bill 1257 will make "revenge porn" a crime.
Senator David Holt, Republican, is spearheading the legislation and asking that a first offense be a misdemeanor and a second offense be a felony, according to documents from the Republican's office.
After maneuvering to get a hearing, just passed my bill to criminalize non-consensual pornography ("revenge porn"). pic.twitter.com/obV4kOBGpS
— Senator David Holt (@davidfholt) February 24, 2016
Revenge porn is generally described as people who have exchanged nude photos or videos while on good terms. When the relationship turns sour, however, one of the people will send those photos to others, without consent, as a way to get revenge.
Holt said in a statement, "Non-consensual pornography is a destructive act that especially targets women, and it should be a crime."
So far the bill has passed the Senate Appropriation Committee and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote on March 10.
Holt further explained the purpose of the law:
"SB 1257 provides that a person commits a crime when they intentionally disseminate an image of another identifiable person who is engaged in a sexual act or is nude; they obtained the image under circumstances that would lead a reasonable person to know that the image was private; and they knew or should have known that the dissemination was nonconsensual. It exempts disseminations related to law enforcement investigations or when the exposure or sexual act was committed in public or in a commercial setting."
