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Missouri House pushes back against 'revenge porn'

New MO Laws
Posted at 12:01 PM, Feb 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 13:01:19-05

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill outlawing so-called "revenge porn."

The bill, introduced by Republican Jim Neely, would outlaw "nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images." An amendment added by Neely also would ban people from threatening to distribute those images.

Several lawmakers spoke Tuesday in favor of the bill while no one appeared to speak or vote against it.

The bill says communications networks, such as broadband providers, are not automatically liable if they unwittingly distribute those images.

The bill needs to be voted on again by the House before it is sent to the Senate. A similar version of this bill was introduced last year but it was never voted on by the House.