Sexting_BusShelterMONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Senate has passed and the state’s House is considering a bill that would remove criminal child pornography charges as a consequence of teen “sexting.” The bill would make an exception for 13-18 year olds on both the receiving and sending ends of sexually oriented cell-phone messages, as long as the sender voluntarily transmits an image of himself or herself.

Perhaps more significant than no longer having to face the jail time associated with a child pornography conviction, Vermont teens no longer will face lifetime placement on the state’s sex offender registry for life if the bill become law.

According to The Associated Press, however, the bill would not legalize the activity, as some news reports have suggested.

“Legislators believe prosecutors could still use laws against lewd and lascivious conduct and against disseminating indecent materials to a minor,” The AP noted.

While state legislators remain concerned about the rising trend in sexting and continue to stregthen laws against sexual abuse, they are in almost unanimous agreement that criminalizing an entire generation is not the answer to the problem.

“We felt that it’s poor behavior and it’s not something we want to give our OK to,” Sen. Richard Sears, [D-Bennington], chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the AP. “But at the same time, do we want a kid in jail? Do we want them tagged as a sex offender for the rest of their lives? And the answer is no.”