Relating to exhibition of obscene material
Senate Bill 590 makes it a crime for performers to host adult cabaret shows - defined as performances featuring topless, go-go, exotic, or stripper dancers that appeal to prurient interest - where minors could view them, whether on public property or in accessible locations. Violating this law carries penalties: a first offense is a misdemeanor, while repeat offenses become felonies punishable by up to $25,000 fines, five years in prison, or both. The bill explicitly overrides any existing local ordinances about such performances. It directly affects venues and performers hosting these shows in public or viewable areas, ensuring uniform state-level enforcement.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 23, 2026
Last action Mar 5, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced Version
→
Committee Substitute
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was revised from an Introduced Version to a Committee Substitute version, primarily updating the bill title and summary to better reflect its content. The substantive legal text of the new section §61-8A-2a remains largely the same, though the preemption clause was expanded to cover ordinances adopted after the effective date, and penalty language was reorganized into specific subsections for clarity.
Scope change
The scope of preemption was expanded to include ordinances, regulations, restrictions, or licenses lawfully adopted or issued by a political subdivision both prior to and after the effective date of the code section.
DEFINITION
The bill title and summary were updated to more accurately describe the bill's purpose, including exhibition of obscene material and preemption of local law.
ENFORCEMENT
The preemption provision was expanded to apply to local laws adopted both before and after the effective date of the code section, increasing the bill's preemptive reach.
TECHNICAL
Penalty language was restructured into separate subsections (d and e) to clearly distinguish between first offense misdemeanor penalties and second offense felony penalties.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 4, 2026
How they voted
30–2
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Mar 4, 2026
D
Democratic2
100% Nay
R
Republican31
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
16
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Mar 5, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 332)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute reported
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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