SB156 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Sex offenders, obscene materials containing visual depiction of persons under 17 years, disseminating, publicly displaying, possessing, or possessing with intent to disseminate, term further defined, crime of possession, penalties, Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act on 1st or 2nd offense, Secs.13A-12-190, 13A-12-192 am'd.

Summary

SB156 broadens Alabama's laws about obscene materials involving minors by changing how dissemination is defined, adding breast nudity to possession offenses, and clarifying local-funding rules.

What This Bill Does

It removes the monetary requirement from the definition of disseminate and adds sharing or trading of such material. It adds breast nudity to the materials that can be possessed and charged when they depict a person under 17. It creates per-depiction offenses with specified felony levels and defines key terms used in these provisions, while noting the act’s local-funding implications. It also clarifies the act becomes effective after legislative approval and governor action, and it states the funding-related constitutional provision does not apply because the bill creates or amends a crime.

Who It Affects

• People who create, share, trade, display, or possess obscene material depicting someone under 17, or who possess with intent to disseminate such material, who could face new or enhanced criminal charges.
• Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who enforce and prosecute the updated offenses and new definitions.

Key Provisions

• Disseminate is redefined to remove the requirement of monetary consideration and to include sharing or trading such material.
• Breast nudity is added to the types of obscene material that can lead to possession charges involving a minor.
• Each visual depiction of a minor in such material constitutes a separate offense; penalties include Class B felony for possession with intent to disseminate obscene matter and Class C felony for possession of obscene matter involving a minor.
• Definitions for terms like Disseminate, Display Publicly, Visual Depiction, Obscene, and Breast Nudity are added or clarified to support the new offenses.
• The bill is stated to be exempt from Amendment 621 local-funding requirements because it defines a new crime or amends an existing crime; effective date is the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Sex Offenders