roundtable: ACLU State Legislative Update
roundtable: ACLU State Legislative Update
ACLU State Legislative Update
BEESONA@HRW.ORG
Fri, 19 May 95 17:36:11 EST
From: BEESONA@HRW.ORG
Date: Fri, 19 May 95 17:36:11 EST
Message-Id: <9504198009.AA800930171@email.hrw.org>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: ACLU State Legislative Update
Posted by:
Ann Beeson
<beesona@hrw.org>
ACLU LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
State Legislation to Regulate Online Speech Content
5/15/95
NOTE: States in capital letters indicate bills
requiring URGENT ACTION.
Alabama:
House Bill 100
Sponsor: Smith
Subject: Electronic transmission of obscene materials to
minors.
04/18/95 Introduced. To House Committee on Judiciary.
California:
Assembly Bill 295
Sponsor: Baldwin
Subject: Expands obscenity and child pornography statutes
to prohibit transmission of images by computer.
02/07/95 Introduced.
02/23/95 To Assembly Committee on Public Safety.
03/16/95 Amended.
03/28/95 Assembly Committee on Public Safety passed as
amended and sent to Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
04/17/95 Amended on Assembly floor. Referred again to
Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
05/10/95 To Assembly Committee on Appropriations Suspense
File.
Advocacy: ACLU provided testimony to Assembly Committees.
ACLU of Northern California
Francisco Lobaco, Legislative Counsel
916-442-1036
Connecticut:
House Bill 6219
Sponsor: Dillon.
Subject: Harassment by computer.
01/20/95 Introduced. To House Committee on Judiciary.
House Bill 6883
Sponsor: House Committee on Judiciary.
Subject: Harassment by computer.
03/02/95 Introduced. To House Committee on Judiciary.
Advocacy: Connecticut Civil Liberties Union: 203-247-9823
William Olds, Executive Director
Florida:
Senate Bill 238
Sponsor: Grant.
Subject: Pornography Victims' Compensation Act. Creates
private cause of action for victims of several crimes
related to pornography, including Florida's computer
pornography statute (Fla. Stat. 847.0135).
03/07/95 Introduced. To Committee on Criminal Justice.
Reported favorably.
03/07/95 To Committee on Ways and Means.
04/21/95 Withdrawn from Committee on Ways and Means.
**ILLINOIS:
Senate Bill 747
Sponsor: Dudycz.
Subject: Sexual solicitation of a minor by computer.
03/03/95 Introduced. To Committee on Judiciary.
04/19/95 From Committee on Judiciary. Reported favorably
as amended.
05/02/95 Amended on Senate floor.
05/03/95 PASSED SENATE. TO HOUSE.
Advocacy: ACLU wrote memo to Senate Committee members, and
continues to fight the bill.
ACLU of Illinois
Mary Dixon, Legislative Counsel 217-793-8540
Maryland:
Senate Bill 22
Sponsor: Pica.
Subject: Transmission of child pornography by computer;
sexual solicitation of a minor by computer.
01/11/95 Introduced. To Committee on Judicial
Proceedings.
03/06/95 Committee on Judicial Proceedings reported
favorably.
03/09/95 PASSED SENATE. TO HOUSE.
03/10/95 To House Committee on Judiciary.
04/08/95 From House Committee on Judiciary. Reported
unfavorably.
Advocacy: On 3/29/95, the ACLU wrote memo to Joseph
Vallario and members of the House Judiciary Committee.
ACLU of Maryland: 410-889-8556
Stuart Comstock-Gay, Executive Director
**NEW YORK:
Senate Bill 210C
Sponsor: Senator Sears. Assemblyman Destito.
Subject: Disseminating indecent materials to minors.
01/04/95 Introduced. Referred to Codes Committee.
01/26/95 Amended and referred back to Codes.
03/15/95 Amended and referred back to Codes.
03/27/95 Amended on third reading.
04/03/95 PASSED SENATE. TO ASSEMBLY. Referred to
Assembly Committee on Codes.
Advocacy: New York Civil Liberties Union:
212-382-0557
Laura Murray, Legislative Counsel
Oklahoma:
House Bill 1048
Sponsor: Perry.
Subject: Prohibits transmission of obscenity, defined as
harmful to minors, through online networks.
01/03/95 Introduced.
01/19/95 To House Committee on Criminal Justice.
02/22/95 House Committee on Criminal Justice passed as
substituted.
03/15/95 PASSED HOUSE. TO SENATE.
03/20/95 To Senate Committee on Judiciary.
04/03/95 Senate Committee on Judiciary passed.
04/05/95 PASSED SENATE. TO GOVERNOR.
04/12/95 Signed by governor.
Advocacy: The ACLU was very active in opposing the bill.
ACLU of Oklahoma: 405-525-3831
Contact: Chuck Thornton 405-848-8819
Oregon:
House Bill 2310
Sponsor: Mannix.
Subject: Creates crime of electronically furnishing
obscene material to minors.
01/13/95 Introduced.
01/16/95 To House Committee on Judiciary.
Advocacy: ACLU of Oregon: 503-227-6928
David Fidanque, Executive Director
**PENNSYLVANIA:
House Bill 841
Sponsor: Lawless.
Subject: Prohibits pornographic communications by computer
to minors.
02/14/95 Introduced. To House Committee on Judiciary.
02/28/95 From House Committee on Judiciary. To House
Committee on Consumer Affairs.
03/21/95 From House Committee on Consumer Affairs as
amended.
05/03/95 To House Committee on Appropriations.
Advocacy: ACLU of Pennsylvania: 215-592-1513
Larry Frankel, Legislative Counsel
Virginia:
Senate Bill 1067
Sponsor: Calhoun.
Subject: Expands harmful to minors statute to criminalize
electronic transmissions of child pornography.
01/23/95 Introduced. To Senate Committee on Courts of
Justice.
02/06/95 From Senate Committee on Courts of Justice.
Reported with amendment.
02/07/95 Committee amendment adopted on Senate floor.
PASSED SENATE. TO HOUSE.
02/09/95 To House Committee on Courts of Justice.
02/21/95 From House Committee on Courts of Justice.
Reported favorably.
02/23/95 Amended on House Floor. PASSED HOUSE. TO SENATE
FOR CONCURRENCE.
02/24/95 Senate concurred in House amendments. TO
GOVERNOR.
04/06/95 Senate adopted, and House rejected, Governor's
amendments (to include defenses to liability for online
providers and telecommunications carriers).
05/05/95 Signed by Governor.
Advocacy: The ACLU and other groups sent a letter to
Governor Allen urging him to veto the bill.
ACLU of Virginia: 804-644-8080
Kent Willis, Executive Director
**WASHINGTON:
Senate Bill 5466
Sponsor: Smith.
Subject: Harmful to minors statute; includes
electronically transmitted messages and images.
01/24/95 Introduced. To Senate Committee on Law and
Justice.
03/01/95 Senate Committee on Law and Justice passed.
03/11/95 Amended on Senate floor. PASSED SENATE. TO
HOUSE.
03/14/95 To House Committee on Law and Justice.
03/27/95 House Committee on Law and Justice passed.
04/14/95 Amended on House floor. PASSED HOUSE. TO SENATE
TO CONCUR.
04/21/95 Senate refused to concur in House's amendments.
To conference.
04/23/95 PASSED. TO GOVERNOR.
05/12/95 Governor vetoed the bill.
NOTE: THE SPONSORS OF THE BILL ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO GAIN
ENOUGH VOTES TO OVERRIDE THE GOVERNOR'S VETO.
Advocacy: The ACLU continues to be very active in opposing
the bill.
ACLU of Washington: 206-624-2184
Jerry Sheehan, Legislative Counsel
============================================================
For more information on the pending state bills, visit our
gopher site, the ACLU Free Reading Room:
gopher://aclu.org:6601/1/issues/cyberspace/state
This subdirectory contains the full text of some bills, in
addition to ACLU legal analyses of, and letters written to
oppose, particular bills.
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"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"
============================================================
Ann Beeson
American Civil Liberties Union
National Office
212-944-9800 x258
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