Bill would outlaw 'revenge porn'

OLYMPIA -- A bill outlawing "revenge porn" -- explicit images of someone often made public by a spurned lover -- was introduced this week in Olympia.

Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, proposed a bill that would make distribution of explicit images or videos of someone's "intimate areas" a Class C Felony, punishable by up to five years in jail and a hefty fine.

"A person commits of the crime if he or she photographs or films intimate areas of another person... and subsequently distributes the imagse via the Internet... with the intent to cause serious emotional distress," the proposed bill reads.

Morris told the Seattle Times he expects a vote on the bill later this week. Similar bills have passed in other states after the issue was brought to the forefront of the public's eye when nude revenge porn photos of a christian elementary school teacher were posted online.