2nd Engrossment - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am
1.1 A bill for an act 1.2 relating to crime; providing criminal penalties for 1.3 possessing and disseminating pornographic work 1.4 depicting a minor; including computer-generated or 1.5 computer-altered images within the definition of 1.6 pornographic work; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, 1.7 sections 617.246, subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4, and by 1.8 adding a subdivision; and 617.247, subdivisions 1, 2, 1.9 3, 4, and by adding a subdivision. 1.10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 1.11 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.246, 1.12 subdivision 1, is amended to read: 1.13 Subdivision 1. [DEFINITIONS.] (a) For the purpose of this 1.14 section, the terms defined in this subdivision have the meanings 1.15 given them. 1.16 (b) "Minor" means any person under the age of 18. 1.17 (c) "Promote" means to produce, direct, publish, 1.18 manufacture, issue, or advertise. 1.19 (d) "Sexual performance" means any play, dance or other 1.20 exhibition presented before an audience or for purposes of 1.21 visual or mechanical reproductionwhich depictsthat uses a 1.22 minor to depict actual or simulated sexual conduct as defined by 1.23 clause (e). 1.24 (e) "Sexual conduct" means any of the followingif the1.25depiction involves a minor: 1.26(i)(1) an act of sexual intercourse, normal or perverted, 1.27actual or simulated,including genital-genital, anal-genital, or 2.1 oral-genital intercourse, whether between human beings or 2.2 between a human being and an animal.; 2.3(ii)(2) sadomasochistic abuse, meaning flagellation, 2.4 torture, or similar demeaning acts inflicted by or upon a person 2.5 who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a revealing costume, 2.6 or the condition of being fettered, bound or otherwise 2.7 physically restrained on the part of one so clothed.; 2.8(iii)(3) masturbationor; 2.9 (4) lewd exhibitions of the genitals.; or 2.10(iv)(5) physical contactor simulated physical contact2.11 with the clothed or unclothed pubic areas or buttocks of a human 2.12 male or female, or the breasts of the female, whether alone or 2.13 between members of the same or opposite sex or between humans 2.14 and animals in an act of apparent sexual stimulation or 2.15 gratification. 2.16 (f) "Pornographic work" means: 2.17 (1) an original or reproduction of a picture, film, 2.18 photograph, negative, slide, videotape, videodisc, or drawing of 2.19 a sexual performance involving a minor; or 2.20 (2) any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, 2.21 video, picture, drawing, negative, slide, or computer-generated 2.22 image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, 2.23 mechanical, or other means that: 2.24 (i) uses a minor to depict actual or simulated sexual 2.25 conduct; 2.26 (ii) has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that 2.27 an identifiable minor is engaging in sexual conduct; or 2.28 (iii) is advertised, promoted, presented, described, or 2.29 distributed in such a manner that conveys the impression that 2.30 the material is or contains a visual depiction of a minor 2.31 engaging in sexual conduct. 2.32 For the purposes of this paragraph, an identifiable minor 2.33 is a person who was a minor at the time the depiction was 2.34 created or altered, whose image is used to create the visual 2.35 depiction. 2.36 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.246, 3.1 subdivision 2, is amended to read: 3.2 Subd. 2. [USE OF MINOR.] It is unlawful for a person to 3.3 promote, employ, use or permit a minor to engage in or assist 3.4 others to engage minors in posing or modeling alone or with 3.5 others in any sexual performance or pornographic work if the 3.6 person knows or has reason to know that the conduct intended is 3.7 a sexual performance or a pornographic work. 3.8 Any person who violates this subdivision is guilty of a 3.9 felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 3.10fiveten years or to payment of a fine of not more than 3.11$10,000$20,000 for the first offense and$20,000$40,000 for a 3.12 second or subsequent offense, or both. 3.13 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.246, 3.14 subdivision 3, is amended to read: 3.15 Subd. 3. [OPERATION OR OWNERSHIP OF BUSINESS.] A person 3.16 who owns or operates a business in which awork depicting a3.17minor in a sexual performancepornographic work, as defined in 3.18 this section, is disseminated to an adult or a minor or is 3.19 reproduced, and who knows the content and character of 3.20 the pornographic work disseminated or reproduced, is guilty of a 3.21 felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more 3.22 thanfiveten years, or to payment of a fine of not more 3.23 than$10,000$20,000 for the first offense and$20,000$40,000 3.24 for a second or subsequent offense, or both. 3.25 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.246, 3.26 subdivision 4, is amended to read: 3.27 Subd. 4. [DISSEMINATION.] A person who, knowing or with 3.28 reason to know its content and character, disseminates for 3.29 profit to an adult or a minor a pornographic workdepicting a3.30minor in sexual performance, as defined in this section, is 3.31 guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not 3.32 more thanfiveten years, or to payment of a fine of not more 3.33 than$10,000$20,000 for the first offense and$20,000$40,000 3.34 for a second or subsequent offense, or both. 3.35 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.246, is 3.36 amended by adding a subdivision to read: 4.1 Subd. 6. [AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.] It shall be an affirmative 4.2 defense to a charge of violating this section that the sexual 4.3 performance or pornographic work was produced using only persons 4.4 who were 18 years or older. 4.5 Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.247, 4.6 subdivision 1, is amended to read: 4.7 Subdivision 1. [POLICY; PURPOSE.] It is the policy of the 4.8 legislature in enacting this section to protect minors from the 4.9 physical and psychological damage caused by their being used 4.10 inphotographic representations ofpornographic work depicting 4.11 sexual conduct which involves minors. It is therefore the 4.12 intent of the legislature to penalize possession ofphotographic4.13representations ofpornographic work depicting sexual conduct 4.14 which involve minors or appears to involve minors in order to 4.15 protect the identity of minors who are victimized by involvement 4.16 in thephotographic representationspornographic work, and to 4.17 protect minors from future involvement inphotographic4.18representations ofpornographic work depicting sexual conduct. 4.19 Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.247, 4.20 subdivision 2, is amended to read: 4.21 Subd. 2. [DEFINITIONS.] For purposes of this section, the 4.22 following terms have the meanings given them: 4.23 (a)"Photographic representation" means an original or4.24reproduction of a film, videotape, videodisc, photograph,4.25negative, or slide"Pornographic work" has the meaning given to 4.26 it in section 617.246. 4.27 (b) "Sexual conduct" has the meaning given to it in section 4.28 617.246. 4.29 Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.247, 4.30 subdivision 3, is amended to read: 4.31 Subd. 3. [DISSEMINATION PROHIBITED.] A person who 4.32 disseminatesa photographic representation of sexual conduct4.33which involves a minorpornographic work to an adult or a minor, 4.34 knowing or with reason to know its content and characterand4.35that an actual minor is an actor or photographic subject in it, 4.36 is guilty of agross misdemeanorfelony and may be sentenced to 5.1 imprisonment for not more than five years and a fine of not more 5.2 than $10,000 for a first offense and for not more than ten years 5.3 and a fine of not more than $20,000 for a second or subsequent 5.4 offense. 5.5 Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.247, 5.6 subdivision 4, is amended to read: 5.7 Subd. 4. [POSSESSION PROHIBITED.] A person whohas in5.8possessionpossesses aphotographic representation of sexual5.9conduct which involves a minorpornographic work or a computer 5.10 disk or computer or other electronic, magnetic, or optical 5.11 storage system or a storage system of any other type, containing 5.12 a pornographic work, knowing or with reason to know its content 5.13 and characterand that an actual minor is an actor or5.14photographic subject in it, is guilty of agross misdemeanor5.15 felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 5.16 three years and a fine of not more than $5,000 for a first 5.17 offense and for not more than five years and a fine of not more 5.18 than $10,000 for a second or subsequent offense. 5.19 Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 617.247, is 5.20 amended by adding a subdivision to read: 5.21 Subd. 8. [AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.] It shall be an affirmative 5.22 defense to a charge of violating this section that the 5.23 pornographic work was produced using only persons who were 18 5.24 years or older. 5.25 Sec. 11. [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 5.26 Sections 1 to 10 are effective August 1, 1999, and apply to 5.27 crimes committed on or after that date.