Protections related to interviews of child abuse victims clarified to apply to all recordings; changes to terms used in statutes that punish creation, distribution, and possession of sexually explicit materials involving children proposed; and conforming changes made.

HF 2594 clarifies that protections for child abuse victim interviews apply to all types of recordings, not just videos, and updates terminology in statutes addressing child sexual abuse materials. The bill amends multiple Minnesota statutes (including 13.821, 144.296, and 617.246) to ensure court procedures for handling recordings of child victims are consistent and to modernize definitions of prohibited materials. It directly affects legal proceedings involving child abuse cases, law enforcement handling evidence, and individuals facing charges related to child sexual abuse materials. The changes aim to strengthen victim privacy protections and ensure statutory language accurately reflects current practices for prosecuting such offenses.