House enacts emergency law to criminalize AI-generated child sexual abuse material

The Maine House of Representatives on the floor adopted an emergency measure intended to let law enforcement prosecute the creation, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material made using artificial intelligence.

Representative from Falmouth, the bill’s sponsor, told colleagues the proposal "will allow Maine law enforcement to charge individuals for the creation, possession, and, distribution of child [sexual abuse] material that is created using artificial intelligence or AI generated images," saying it fills a gap in current statutes. She described committee work that produced a unanimous report and urged a vote to protect children.

Members from across the aisle supported the measure on the floor. Representative McIntyre called it "an exemplary bill of what is possible through collaboration of both sides of this aisle," and Representative Henderson said the measure was sobering but necessary to give investigators tools to hold perpetrators accountable. Debate emphasized that the bill is part of a two-year, bipartisan effort to update Maine’s laws for new technology.

The House designated LD 524 an emergency measure, and members voted to enact it. The clerk announced the roll call in which the chamber recorded the affirmative tally for enactment; the chair then ordered the bill signed by the speaker and sent to the Senate for consideration.

What happens next

As an emergency measure, LD 524 takes effect on enactment if approved by both chambers and signed. Sponsors said the change is intended to allow prosecutors to pursue cases tied to AI-generated images that depict child sexual abuse; lawmakers repeatedly framed the vote as closing a gap between current statute language and rapidly evolving image-generation technology.