Amendment vs bill Senate Proposal of Amendment (UnofficialOpens in a new window) vs Act SummaryOpens in a new window

Struck = removed from the bill · added = the amendment's new text.

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SENATE PROPOSAL OF AMENDMENT H.626 Page 1 of 2 H.626 An act relating to sexual extortion, voyeurism, and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent.
89 Page 1 of 1 This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly.
The Senate proposes to the House to amend the bill in Sec.
It is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive.
1, 13 V.S.A.
It has been prepared by the staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly.
§ 2605, by striking out subsection (j) and inserting in lieu thereof a new subsection (j) to read as follows:
It is not intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
(j) Penalties.
Act No.
(1) For a first offense involving a victim who is 18 years of age or older, a person who violates subsection (b), (c), or (d), or (e) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than two years or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both.
89 (H.626).
For a second or subsequent offense involving a victim who is 18 years of age or older, a person who violates subsection (b), (c), or (d), or (e) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than three years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both.
An act relating to sexual extortion, voyeurism, and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent Subjects:
(2) For a first offense involving a victim who is under 18 years of age, a person who violates subsection (b), (c), or (d) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than three years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both.
Crimes;
For a second or subsequent offense involving a victim who is under 18 years of age, a person who violates subsection (b), (c), or (d) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than five years or fined not more than $10,000.00, or both.
voyeurism;
VT LEG #388780 v.1 SENATE PROPOSAL OF AMENDMENT H.626 Page 2 of 2 (3) A person who violates subsection (c)(e) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than five years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both.
disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent This act creates the new crime of sexual extortion and makes amendments to the statutes regarding voyeurism and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent.
VT LEG #388780 v.1
The sexual extortion statute prohibits a person from knowingly threatening to disclose a visual image of an identifiable person who is nude or who is engaged in sexual conduct, without the person’s consent, with the intent to compel the person to engage in any act against the person’s will or refrain from engaging in any act in which the person has a legal right to engage.
The statute also prohibits a person from knowingly threatening another person with harm for the purposes of compelling the person to produce nude visual images or visual images of sexual conduct or to engage in sexual conduct.
Penalties range from three to 15 years imprisonment depending upon the age of the victim and whether serious bodily injury or death results from the extortion.
The new criminal offense has a 40-year statute of limitation.
The act amends the voyeurism statute to separate the offense of viewing voyeurism from photographing voyeurism for the purpose of extending the statute of limitation for photographing voyeurism from three years to 40 years.
The act also extends the statute of limitations for voyeurism involving display or disclosure of images to a third party from three years to 40 years.
Finally, the act creates a private right of action against a defendant who intentionally displays or discloses to a third party an image recorded in violation of the statute if the display or disclosure causes the plaintiff harm and eliminates the statute of limitations and applies it retroactively to a violation that occurred on or after July 1, 2005.
The act amends the statute regarding disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent to move threats to release images to the sextortion statute and eliminates the statute of limitations for the existing statutory private right of action and applies it retroactively to a violation that occurred on or after July 1, 2015.
In the private right of action provisions for voyeurism and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent, the act provides that the required element in a negligence claim of actual injury to the plaintiff may be satisfied by a diagnosis of a disorder resulting from trauma.
Effective Date:
July 1, 2026 VT LEG #389027 v.2