(Des Moines) The Iowa House passed legislation Monday raising the penalties for the crime of exposing minors to obscene materials after changing the bill to lower charges for minors who expose their peers to such material.
House File 306, approved unanimously, increases the charges for knowingly disseminating or exhibiting obscene materials to a minor. For the first offense of this crime, an adult would be charged with a serious demeanor. A second offense would be punishable with an aggravated misdemeanor and mandatory minimum prison sentence of one year, and third or subsequent offenses would be charged as a Class D felony with a mandatory three years of confinement.
Exhibiting obscene materials to minors is also a Tier I sex offense, and people convicted of this crime would be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The bill was amended to lower charges for minors who commit these crimes. Rep. Megan Srinivas, D-Des Moines, expressed concerns during the subcommittee meeting on the bill that it could have lifelong impacts for minors who make “stupid, simple mistakes,” in their youth in cases like a teenager showing pornography to a friend.
Srinivas proposed an amendment that was adopted by the House stating that people under age 18 who knowingly distribute obscene material to another minor would be charged with a serious misdemeanor — but would not face heightened charges for additional offenses. She thanked Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, the floor manager for the bill, for working with her on the change.
“That’s what this amendment does, is just helps to streamline and ensure that bad actors that are harming our children are, in fact, held liable,” Srinivas said.
A Legislative Services Agency fiscal note on the bill found that the measure will have a “minimal” financial impact on the state’s corrections and justice system, as there are few people convicted of this crime. There were 13 people convicted of disseminating or displaying obscene materials to minors in fiscal year 2024, none of whom had a prior conviction dating back to fiscal year 2020, according to LSA.
