Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding material harmful to minors.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO
Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 796
BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
AN ACT	1
RELATING TO MINORS; AMENDING SECTION 18-1514, IDAHO CODE, TO DEFINE TERMS,	2
TO REVISE DEFINITIONS, TO REMOVE A DEFINITION, AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL	3
CORRECTIONS; AMENDING SECTION 18-1515, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE PROVI-	4
SIONS REGARDING DISSEMINATING MATERIAL HARMFUL TO MINORS; AMENDING	5
SECTION 18-1517B, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE PROVISIONS REGARDING CHIL-	6
DREN'S SCHOOL AND LIBRARY PROTECTION AND TO ESTABLISH PROVISIONS	7
REGARDING CHILDREN'S SCHOOL AND LIBRARY PROTECTION; AMENDING SECTION	8
18-4105, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE A CODE REFERENCE; AMENDING SECTION	9
67-6533, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE A REFERENCE; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY	10
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.	11
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:	12
SECTION 1. That Section 18-1514, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby	13
amended to read as follows:	14
18-1514. OBSCENE MATERIALS -- DEFINITIONS. The following definitions	15
are applicable to this act:	16
(1) "Adolescent minor" means any person thirteen (13) years of age or	17
older but less than eighteen (18) years of age.	18
1. (2) "Minor" means any person less than eighteen (18) years of age.	19
2. (3) "Nudity" means the showing of the human male or female genitals,	20
pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the show-	21
ing of the female breast with less than a full opaque covering of any portion	22
thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered male geni-	23
tals in a discernibly turgid state.	24
3. (4) "Sexual conduct" means any act of masturbation, homosexuality,	25
sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person's clothed or unclothed	26
genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, the breast.	27
Breastfeeding, childbearing, medical procedures and examinations, and any	28
other nonerotic physical contact shall not be considered sexual conduct.	29
4. (5) "Sexual excitement" means the condition of human male or female	30
genitals when in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal.	31
5. (6) "Sado-masochistic abuse" means flagellation or torture by or	32
upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments, a mask or bizarre costume,	33
or the condition of being fettered, bound or otherwise physically restrained	34
on the part of one who is nude or so clothed.	35
6. (7)(a) "Harmful to minors" includes in its meaning means the quality	36
of any material or of any performance or of any description or represen-	37
tation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement,	38
or sado-masochistic abuse, when it:	39
(a) (i) Appeals Taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient inter-	40
est of adolescent minors as judged by the average person, applying	41
contemporary community standards; and	42

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(b) (ii) Depicts or describes representations or descriptions	1
of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochis-	2
tic abuse which are patently offensive to prevailing standards in	3
the adult community with respect to what is suitable material for	4
adolescent minors and includes, but is not limited to, patently	5
offensive representations or descriptions of:	6
(i) 1. Intimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or	7
simulated; or	8
(ii) 2. Masturbation, excretory functions or lewd ex-	9
hibition of the genitals or genital area. Nothing herein	10
contained is intended to include or proscribe any matter	11
which, when considered as a whole, and in context in which it	12
is used, possesses serious literary, artistic, political or	13
scientific value for minors.	14
(b) "Harmful to minors" shall not include material that, when consid-	15
ered as a whole, possesses serious literary, artistic, political, or	16
scientific value for adolescent minors.	17
7. (8) "Material" means anything tangible which is harmful to minors,	18
whether derived through the medium of reading, observation, or sound, in-	19
cluding any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture, film,	20
or similar visual representation or image or any book, pamphlet, magazine,	21
printed matter however reproduced, or sound recording.	22
8. "Performance" means any play, motion picture, dance or other exhi-	23
bition performed before an audience.	24
9. (9) "Promote" means to manufacture, issue, sell, give, provide, de-	25
liver, publish, distribute, circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit or ad-	26
vertise, or to offer or agree to do the same.	27
10. (10) "Knowingly" means having general knowledge of, or reason to	28
know, or a belief or reasonable ground for belief that warrants further in-	29
spection or inquiry.	30
11. (11) "School" means any public or private school providing instruc-	31
tion for students in kindergarten through grade 12.	32
(12) "Sexually explicit" means the quality of any material when it con-	33
tains erotic depictions of nudity, depicts sexual conduct or sado-masochis-	34
tic abuse, or contains any explicit and detailed description or narrative	35
account of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, or sado-masochistic abuse.	36
"Sexually explicit" shall not include diagrams about anatomy for scientific	37
education, religious books such as the Bible and the Torah, or content relat-	38
ing to classical works of art.	39
SECTION 2. That Section 18-1515, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby	40
amended to read as follows:	41
18-1515. DISSEMINATING MATERIAL HARMFUL TO MINORS -- DEFINED --	42
PENALTY. A person is guilty of disseminating material harmful to minors	43
when:	44
1. He knowingly gives or makes available to a minor or promotes or pos-	45
sesses with intent to promote to minors, or he knowingly sells or loans to	46
a minor for monetary consideration: any material that is sexually explicit	47
and, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors.	48

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(a) Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film,	1
or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the	2
human body which depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic	3
abuse and which is harmful to minors; or	4
(b) Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced,	5
or sound recording which contains any matter enumerated in paragraph	6
(a) hereof, or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative	7
accounts of sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic	8
abuse and which, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors; or	9
(c) Any other material harmful to minors.	10
2. With reference to a motion picture, show or other presentation which	11
depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse, and which that is	12
sexually explicit and, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors, he knowingly:	13
(a) Exhibits such motion picture, show or other presentation to a minor	14
for a monetary consideration; or	15
(b) Sells to a minor an admission ticket or pass to premises whereon	16
there is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture, show or other	17
presentation; or	18
(c) Admits a minor for a monetary consideration to premises whereon	19
there is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture, show or other	20
presentation; or	21
(d) Exhibits such motion picture, show or other presentation to a minor	22
not for a monetary consideration; or	23
(e) Gives without monetary consideration to a minor an admission ticket	24
or pass to premises where there is exhibited or to be exhibited such mo-	25
tion picture, show, or other presentation.	26
Disseminating material harmful to minors is a misdemeanor punishable by	27
confinement in the county jail not to exceed one (1) year, or by a fine not to	28
exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both such fine and jail sentence.	29
SECTION 3. That Section 18-1517B, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby	30
amended to read as follows:	31
18-1517B. CHILDREN'S SCHOOL AND LIBRARY PROTECTION. (1) This section	32
shall be known and may be cited as the "Children's School and Library Protec-	33
tion Act."	34
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a private school or	35
public library, or an agent thereof, shall not promote, give, or make avail-	36
able to a minor: any material that is sexually explicit and, taken as a	37
whole, is harmful to minors.	38
(a) Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film,	39
or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the	40
human body that depicts nudity, sexual conduct, or sado-masochistic	41
abuse and that is harmful to minors;	42
(b) Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced,	43
or sound recording that contains any matter pursuant to paragraph (a) of	44
this subsection or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narra-	45
tive accounts of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, or sado-masochis-	46
tic abuse and that, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors; or	47
(c) Any other material harmful to minors.	48

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(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a public school or pub-	1
lic library, or an agent thereof, shall not promote, give, or make available	2
to a minor any material that is sexually explicit.	3
(3) (4) Any minor who obtains material, or parent or legal guardian	4
whose child obtained material, in violation of the provisions of subsection	5
(2) or (3) of this section from a school or public library shall have a cause	6
of action against such institution if:	7
(a) The institution gave or made available the material harmful to mi-	8
nors, or the institution failed to take reasonable steps to restrict ac-	9
cess by minors to the material harmful to minors;	10
(b) Prior to the filing of a cause of action, the minor, parent, or le-	11
gal guardian has provided written notice to the school or public library	12
asking for the relocation of such material to a section designated for	13
adults only within sixty (60) days of receipt of the written notice; and	14
(c) Upon receipt of written notice and subsequent to the expiration of	15
sixty (60) days, the institution's library board or board of trustees	16
failed to relocate the material harmful to minors to an area with adult	17
access only.	18
(4) (5) Any minor, parent, or legal guardian who prevails in an action	19
brought under this section may recover two hundred fifty dollars ($250) in	20
statutory damages as well as actual damages and any other relief available	21
by law, including but not limited to injunctive relief sufficient to prevent	22
the defendant school or public library from violating the requirements of	23
this section.	24
(5) (6) A county prosecuting attorney or the attorney general shall	25
have a cause of action for injunctive relief against any school or public li-	26
brary that violates the provisions of subsection (2) or (3) of this section.	27
The injunction shall be sufficient to prevent the defendant school or public	28
library from violating the requirements of this section.	29
(6) (7) It shall be an affirmative defense to civil liability under this	30
section that the defendant:	31
(a) Had reasonable cause to believe that the minor involved was eigh-	32
teen (18) years of age or older or such minor exhibited to the defendant	33
a draft card, driver's license, birth certificate, or other official or	34
apparently official document purporting to establish that the minor was	35
eighteen (18) years of age or older; or	36
(b) Verified the minor involved was accompanied, at the time of the act,	37
by his parent or legal guardian, or by another adult and the adult rep-	38
resented that he was the minor's parent or legal guardian and signed a	39
written statement to that effect.	40
(7) (8) Each private school and public library shall have a policy and	41
readily accessible form allowing a person to request review of material the	42
person considers to be harmful to minors. Such form shall contain the defi-	43
nitions of "sexually explicit" and "harmful to minors," as provided in sec-	44
tion 18-1514, Idaho Code.	45
(9) Each public school and public library shall have a policy and read-	46
ily accessible form allowing a person to request review of material the per-	47
son considers to be sexually explicit. Such form shall contain the defini-	48
tion of "sexually explicit," as provided in section 18-1514, Idaho Code.	49

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(8) (10) Any action brought pursuant to this section by or on behalf of a	1
minor shall be in accordance with the provisions of chapter 9, title 6, Idaho	2
Code, section 5-306, Idaho Code, and rule 17 of the Idaho rules of civil pro-	3
cedure.	4
SECTION 4. That Section 18-4105, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby	5
amended to read as follows:	6
18-4105. PUBLIC DISPLAY OF OFFENSIVE SEXUAL MATERIAL -- PENALTY. Any	7
person who knowingly exhibits or displays or permits to be exhibited or dis-	8
played any of the following in such a manner that such exhibit or display	9
is easily visible from any street, sidewalk, thoroughfare, or other public	10
area; or is visible from any transportation facility; or is visible from any	11
residence when the person knows that the owner or occupant of such residence	12
objects to such exhibit or display:	13
(a) Human genitals or pubic area without a full opaque covering, or any	14
graphic or pictorial depiction thereof, or any depiction of covered male	15
genitals in a discernibly erect state;	16
(b) An actual or simulated sex act, or sexual contact between humans and	17
animals, or masturbation, or any graphic or pictorial display thereof; or	18
(c) Any depiction of sado-masochistic abuse, as defined in section	19
18-1514(5), Idaho Code, is guilty of a misdemeanor.	20
SECTION 5. That Section 67-6533, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby	21
amended to read as follows:	22
67-6533. LOCATION OF STORES SELLING SEXUAL MATERIAL RESTRICTED IN	23
CERTAIN AREAS. (a) From and after January 1, 1980, no person or entity shall	24
own or operate any store, shop or business which sells or rents any mate-	25
rials defined as obscene materials in section 18-4101, Idaho Code, within	26
twenty-five hundred (2500) feet of any school, church, or place of worship	27
measured in a straight line to the nearest entrance to the premises.	28
(b) From and after January 1, 1980, no person or entity shall own or op-	29
erate any store, shop or business which sells or rents any materials defined	30
in subsection 1 of section 18-1515 as harmful to minors or as sexually ex-	31
plicit pursuant to section 18-1514, Idaho Code, where such materials consti-	32
tute ten percent (10%) or more of the printed materials held for sale or rent	33
of such store, shop or business, within twenty-five hundred (2500) feet of	34
any school, church, or place of worship measured in a straight line to the	35
nearest entrance to the premises.	36
(c) From and after the effective date of this act, a violation of sub-	37
section (a) or subsection (b) of this section shall be a misdemeanor.	38
(d) A judge of a court of competent jurisdiction shall immediately is-	39
sue a temporary restraining order for a violation of subsection (a) or sub-	40
section (b) of this section upon application therefore by any public or pri-	41
vate entity or person and upon compliance with the Idaho rules of civil pro-	42
cedure, except that no bond or security for the issuance of such restraining	43
order shall be required. Further, a violation of subsection (a) or subsec-	44
tion (b) of this section shall subject the person and entities therefore to	45
a preliminary and permanent order of any court of this state enjoining them	46

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from such violation and no bond or security shall be required from the plain-	1
tiff or applicant therefore.	2
(e) No entity, public or private, nor any person shall be liable for any	3
damages, costs or attorney fees for any acts attempting to civilly or crimi-	4
nally enforce this section.	5
(f) Nothing contained in this section shall preempt or prohibit cities	6
or counties from regulating or restricting the location of the business ac-	7
tivity described in this section and cities and counties are hereby specifi-	8
cally authorized to so regulate or restrict the location of said business ac-	9
tivity.	10
SECTION 6. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby	11
declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after	12
July 1, 2026.	13

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