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Committee hears bill targeting AI‑generated intimate images of minors; AG and police seek drafting work
Summary
Senate Bill 300 would criminalize creation of "intimate visual representations" of minors, including AI‑generated deepfake images. Attorney General's Office and state police supported the bill but said parental‑consent language and First Amendment concerns need further drafting. Witnesses representing victims and schools told the committee
Senate Bill 300 would make it a class B felony to create an "intimate visual representation" of a minor, including images produced or altered by artificial intelligence, sponsor testimony and law‑enforcement witnesses said.
Grant Bossi introduced the bill for Senator Dan Innes and said it was prompted by a constituent report that AI was used to create sexualized images of high‑school students and federal authorities could not charge under existing New Hampshire law. Major Bill Bright of the New Hampshire State Police and Attorney General's Office representatives said the bill closes a gap in protections for minors.
Barb Patch of the nonprofit All Girls Allowed described research showing that deepfake nudes and synthetic intimate images are readily available to young people and that victims experience severe emotional and reputational harm. Patch cited national surveys finding students and educators report nonconsensual synthetic sexual images are an emerging problem in schools.
Assistant Attorney General Sam Garland said the Attorney General's Office supported the bill as written to address the enforcement gap but acknowledged drafting challenges. Attorney Steven Endris, speaking from prosecutorial experience, recommended replacing a parental‑consent clause in the draft with a Miller‑type standard targeting images that "appeal to prurient interest" or that lack serious literary, artistic or scientific value, to avoid constitutional First Amendment problems and to preserve legitimate medical or investigative photography.
Police witnesses and the AG's office said they would continue drafting work to reconcile the parental‑consent language and other drafting issues before the committee. The hearing record closed without committee vote in the transcript.
