Crimes of obscenity-revisions.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material indicates that the bill did not pass and was marked as inactive, meaning it is no longer moving in the current session. The candidate explanation incorrectly states an effective date of March 1, 2023, which contradicts the lack of specified effective date in the bill text.

Changes to Laws About Obscenity and Child Pornography

The bill changes the definition of child pornography to include cartoons and other types of images, removes an exemption for certain institutions from promoting obscenity laws, but does not specify when these changes will take effect.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the definition of 'child pornography' to include any visual depiction like cartoons or drawings that show explicit sexual conduct involving children.
• Removes an exception that allowed schools, colleges, universities, museums, and public libraries to be exempt from laws against promoting obscenity during their regular activities.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who create or share images of child pornography
• Schools, colleges, universities, museums, and public libraries

Terms To Know

Child Pornography

Any visual depiction that shows explicit sexual conduct involving children.

Obscenity

Material that is offensive to community standards of decency and has no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how the changes will be enforced.
• It's unclear what specific activities at schools, colleges, universities, museums, and public libraries were exempt from obscenity laws before this change.
• The effective date of July 1, 2023, is mentioned in the candidate explanation but contradicts the bill text which does not specify an effective date.

Current Bill Text

23LSO-0444
2023
STATE OF WYOMING
23LSO-0444
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0087

Crimes of obscenity-revisions.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Ward, Allemand, Angelos, Haroldson, Hornok, Locke, Ottman, Pendergraft, Penn, Slagle and Strock and Senator(s) Hutchings, Ide and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; amending the definition of child pornography for the offense of sexual exploitation of children to include cartoons and other depictions; repealing an exemption from promoting obscenity for activities conducted in the course of employment at a school, college, university, museum or public library; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 6
‑
4
‑
303(a)(ii)(intro) is amended to read:

6
‑
4
‑
303.

Sexual exploitation of children; penalties; definitions.

(a)

As used in this section:

(ii)

"Child pornography" means any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture,
cartoon, drawing,
computer or computer
‑
generated image or picture, whether or not made or produced by electronic, mechanical or other means,
or any other form of depiction
of explicit sexual conduct, where:

Section 2.

W.S. 6
‑
4
‑
302(c)(ii) is repealed.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2023
.

(END)

1
HB0087