Republicans Introduce 'Age Verification' Bill in Arkansas

Republicans Introduce 'Age Verification' Bill in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  — Two Republican state senators in Arkansas introduced a bill this week requiring age verification before “entering a website offering pornography.”

Senate Bill 66, which proposes a “Protection of Minors from Distribution of Harmful Material Act,” is sponsored by Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) and Sen. Jim Petty (R-Van Buren). The proposed legislation is a copycat version of Louisiana’s Act 440, a new law championed by a religious anti-porn activist Republican legislator.

According to NBC affiliate KARK, the proposed bill “requires a digitized identification card to prove that anyone from Arkansas trying to enter a pornography website is over 18.”

The bill also “claims that pornography is creating a public health crisis and contributes to the hyper-sexualization of minors,” KARK reported.

The bill includes the senators’ definition of what kinds of material would constitute “pornography,” and mandates that “any website with over 23.33% of its material meeting the pornography description” institute age verification.

Drag Also 'Prurient' for Petty

Sen. Petty is also promoting Senate Bill 43, which would outlaw drag performances in front of children under 18. Today Petty told the Arkansas Senate that “children are worth preserving their innocence.” SB 43 would criminalize anyone who “sings, lip-synchs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience of at least two persons for entertainment” while “exhibiting a gender identity that is different from the performer’s gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, or other accessories that are traditionally worn by members of and are meant to exaggerate the gender identity of the performer’s opposite sex” and “intending to appeal to the prurient interest.”

As XBIZ reported, Republicans throughout the country are seeking to outlaw all adult content by overturning the 1973 “Miller Test” differentiating First Amendment-protected sexual material from illegal “obscene” material produced to appeal to “a prurient interes

Main Image: Anti-porn Arkansas State Senators Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) and Jim Petty (R-Van Buren) (Photo: Arkansas Senate)

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Kiiroo, Pineapple Support Launch 'Empower Hour' Series on FeelHubX YouTube Channel

Kiiroo and Pineapple Support have teamed up to launch the “Empower Hour” series on the FeelHubX YouTube channel.

Kansas Law Firm Deploys Religion, Bunk Science While Recruiting Plaintiffs Under AV Law

Kansas-based personal injury law firm Mann Wyatt Tanksley is promoting debunked scientific theories and leveraging religious affiliation against the industry while it seeks potential plaintiffs for lawsuits against adult companies under the state’s age verification law.

UK Tech Secretary Lists Age Verification Among OSA Priorities

Peter Kyle, the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on Wednesday made public a draft version of his priorities for implementing the Online Safety Act (OSA), including age verification.

AEBN Publishes Popular Seraches by Country for September, October

AEBN has released its list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Avery Jane Featured on 'Adult Time Podcast'

Avery Jane is the latest guest on the “Adult Time Podcast,” hosted by studio CCO Bree Mills.

FSC: Kansas Law Firm Threatens Adult Site Over Age Verification

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has been notified that Kansas law firm Mann Wyatt Tanksley has sent a letter threatening an adult website with a lawsuit for breaking the state's age verification law.

10th Circuit Rejects Final FSC Appeal in Utah AV Case

The United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Monday rejected a motion by Free Speech Coalition (FSC) requesting that the full court rehear its appeal in Free Speech Coalition v. Anderson, the industry trade association’s challenge to Utah’s age verification law.

Trump Nominates Project 2025 Contributor, Section 230 Foe to Chair FCC

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated, as his pick to head the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr — an author of Project 2025 who has called for gutting Section 230 protections.

Streamate's Elevate Partners With Miss Mei on Decriminalization Initiative

Streamate’s Elevate initiative is debuting a November collaboration with creator and community advocate Miss Mei that will highlight the modern criminalization of sex work.

RedGIFs Launches New Mobile App

RedGIFs has launched a new mobile app designed to offer users a smoother, faster browsing experience.

Show More