Anti-porn troll Chris Sevier (previously) has built his career by convincing grandstanding Republican state lawmakers to introduce doomed, unconstitutional porn-tax laws that would require in-state ISPs to implement default-on censorship of “adult sites” (or, more specifically, “sites appearing an an arbitrary, unaccountable secret blacklist of allegedly adult material”) and then charge $20/subscriber to turn off the filters.
This is unconstitutional and stupid, which makes it perfect for patsy state Republican lawmakers (who are like federal Republican lawmakers, but even stupider and more bigoted and less well-versed in the Constitution) to introduce, grandstand over, raise money on, and then allow to die.
The latest state Republican to field one of these bills is Rep. Gail Griffin [R-Hereford], whose HB2444, AKA the “Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act” will use the porn tax to fund Trump’s wall.
Sevier wouldn’t admit to Motherboard’s Samantha Cole that he was behind this bill, but he did say that states customize his model legislation to suit their needs.
Hereford is the majority whip in the AZ house.
This bill demonstrates, yet again, the power of advocates for various causes to get identical (or very similar) legislation introduced at a state level. All it takes is one or a few lawmakers to introduce the legislation and create new talking points. It’s the same tactic that has been used by groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council and big telecom to pass industry-friendly bills in many states and anti-abortion activists like Americans United for Life to get more than 60 pieces of legislation considered in states around the country.This latest bill will likely fizzle out in Arizona just like the other, similar porn-blocking bills in the past. But it’s concerning that lawmakers continue to do little research around the legislation they support—especially when the consequences would erode constitutional rights.
Arizona Bill Would Charge Porn Consumers $20 to Fund Trump’s Border Wall [Samantha Cole/Motherboard]