![\"Hector](\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Balderas-Hector-336x224.jpg\")
<\/a>Courtesy photo<\/p>
Attorney General Hector Balderas’ staffers walked out of a testy legislative hearing Tuesday after the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque, accepted an amendment to exempt consenting teens ages 14-17.<\/p><\/div>\n
“If it’s between consenting teens then no, they shouldn’t be charged with child pornography. That’s ridiculous,” said Brandy Thompson<\/a> of Albuquerque.<\/p>\n But Attorney General Hector Balderas disagrees. His staff walked out of a testy legislative hearing Tuesday after the bill’s<\/a> sponsor,\u00a0Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque, accepted an amendment to exempt consenting teens ages 14-17.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot support an amendment that weakens protections for teenagers from predatory activity, creates a dangerous new child exploitation loophole, and places New Mexico\u2019s federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force funding in jeopardy,” The Santa Fe New Mexican quoted Balderas as saying<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bill originally proposed giving prosecutors the ability to charge people with one felony per pornographic image of a child they possessed. It passed the House like that, but has been heavily amended in the Senate after some lawmakers raised concerns about overly harsh punishment for “sexting”<\/a> teens and weak laws related to creating\u00a0child pornography.<\/p>\n The bill “now calls for a 10-year prison term for possession, 11 years for distribution and 12 years for ‘manufacturing’ lewd images of children,” according to The New Mexican. And, as it stands, the legislation does\u00a0exempt consenting teens ages 14-17 who send each other images.<\/p>\n Sens. Lisa Torraco, R-Albuquerque, and\u00a0George Mu\u00f1oz, D-Gallup, were among those expressing concerns about\u00a0teens in consensual relationships.<\/p>\n Jennifer Burrill of Clovis\u00a0called the amendment “a good compromise.”<\/p>\n “If kids can legally do it in person, it should not be criminal for them show themselves to their boy\/girlfriend over the phone,” Burrill\u00a0said<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The purpose of the law is to keep kids from being exploited,” she said. “The amendment doesn’t change that.”<\/p>\n Cindy Madrid of Socorro\u00a0agreed.<\/p>\n