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91st General Assembly · Funnel one-pager · Monday, November 9, 2026

SF 116: Relating to obscenity, including the exposure of a minor to an obscene performance and admittance of a minor to a premises with obscene performances, establishing a private civil cause of action, and providing penalties

Died when the session ended · The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died.

What it does

This bill relates to obscenity, including the exposure of a minor to an obscene performance and admittance of a minor to a premises with obscene performances, and establishes a private civil cause of action. The bill defines “obscene performance” as a visual performance by a person, whether compensated or uncompensated, that exposes the person’s genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast, including prosthetics and artificial sexual organs or substitutes therefor, or involves the person engaging in a sex act, masturbation, excretory function, or sadomasochistic abuse, which the average person, viewing the performance as a whole and applying contemporary community standards with respect to what is suitable to be viewed by minors, would find appeals to the prurient interest and is patently offensive, and the performance taken as a whole lacks serious artistic, literary, political, or scientific value.

Sponsors

Sen. Kevin Alons (R), Sen. Doug Campbell (R), Sen. Lynn Evans (R), Sen. Dennis Guth (R), Sen. Mark S. Lofgren (R), Sen. Mike Pike (R), Sen. David D. Rowley (R), Sen. Sandy Salmon (R), Sen. Jeff Taylor (R), Sen. Cherielynn Westrich (R)

Cost

No fiscal note

Senate subcommittee · named January 29, 2025

  • Sen. Cherielynn Westrich (R) · cherielynn.westrich@legis.iowa.gov
  • Sen. Jeff Taylor (R) · jeff.taylor@legis.iowa.gov
  • Sen. Janice Weiner (D) · janice.weiner@legis.iowa.gov

Lobbying · 8 for, 11 against

For: Iowa Baptists For Biblical Values; Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition; Katherine Bogaards; PELLA PAC; Protect My Innocence; The Family Leader; The Family Leader Foundation; VALOR Iowa

Against: Bitches Get Stuff Done; Iowa Association of School Boards; Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers; Iowa Integrated Health Planning and Advisory Council; Iowa Library Association (ILA); Iowa State Education Association; One Iowa; One Iowa Action; Rural School Advocates of Iowa; School Administrators of Iowa; Urban Education Network of Iowa

In plain words

  1. January 23, 2025Filed in the Senate and sent to the Judiciary committee
  2. January 29, 2025Senate subcommittee named: Westrich, Taylor and Weiner
  3. February 5, 2025Subcommittee recommended passing it

From public records at legis.iowa.gov, compiled by Funnel (iowafunnel.com), an independent, nonpartisan site. Current as of Monday, November 9, 2026. https://iowafunnel.com/bills/91/SF116