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H.B. 304

             1     

PENALTY FOR EXPOSING MINORS TO

             2     
SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MEDIA

             3     
2001 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: David L. Hogue

             6      This act modifies the Criminal Code by including, as an offense of dealing harmful material
             7      to minors, the act of intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly allowing minors access to movies
             8      containing material harmful to minors, if the minor is not accompanied by an adult.
             9      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             10      AMENDS:
             11          76-10-1206, as last amended by Chapter 53, Laws of Utah 2000
             12      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             13          Section 1. Section 76-10-1206 is amended to read:
             14           76-10-1206. Dealing in material harmful to a minor.
             15          (1) A person is guilty of dealing in material harmful to minors when, knowing that a
             16      person is a minor, or having failed to exercise reasonable care in ascertaining the [proper] age of
             17      a minor, he:
             18          (a) intentionally distributes or offers to distribute, exhibits or offers to exhibit to a minor
             19      any material harmful to minors;
             20          (b) intentionally produces, presents, or directs any performance before a minor, that is
             21      harmful to minors; [or]
             22          (c) intentionally participates in any performance before a minor, that is harmful to
             23      minors[.]; or
             24          (d) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly allows a minor not accompanied by an adult to
             25      have access to viewing a movie containing material harmful to minors, or fails to take reasonable
             26      measures, in context of the facility where the movie is being shown, to prevent a minor not
             27      accompanied by an adult from having access to viewing a movie containing material harmful to


             28      minors, and:
             29          (i) the person is the owner or operator of the facility where the movie is being exhibited;
             30          (ii) the movie is being exhibited at a public place as defined in Section 76-10-1216 ; and
             31          (iii) the movie is being exhibited for profit.
             32          (2) Each separate offense under this section is a third degree felony punishable by a
             33      minimum mandatory fine of not less than $300 plus $10 for each article exhibited up to the
             34      maximum allowed by law and by incarceration, without suspension of sentence in any way, for a
             35      term of not less than 14 days. This section supersedes Section 77-18-1 .
             36          (3) If a defendant has already been convicted once under this section, each separate further
             37      offense is a second degree felony punishable by a minimum mandatory fine of not less than $5,000
             38      plus $10 for each article exhibited up to the maximum allowed by law and by incarceration,
             39      without suspension of sentence in any way, for a term of not less than one year. This section
             40      supersedes Section 77-18-1 .
             41          (4) As used in this section, "adult" means a person 21 years of age or older.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-16-01 2:50 PM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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