Two bills introduced in the Kansas House on Wednesday generate funding for human trafficking programs by requiring all new internet-capable telephones or computers sold in the state to feature anti-pornography software and by mandating adult entertainment businesses charge a special admissions tax.
Sabetha Rep. Randy Garber sponsored legislation requiring the software installations and dictating purchasers would have to pay a $20 fee to the state, and whatever cost was assessed by retail stores, to remove filters for “obscene” material. No one under 18 would be allowed to have filter software deleted.
“It’s to protect children,” Garber, a Republican, said in an interview. “What it would do is any X-rated pornography stuff would be filtered. It would be on all purchases going forward. Why wouldn’t anybody like this?”
He said it wouldn’t be surprising if the bill, if adopted as law, generated legal challenges. He said marketers of technology equipment could be expected to oppose the bill as state government overreach into private business transactions. Free speech organizations say this type of legislation would be unconstitutional.
Revenue derived from both of Garber’s bills would be deposited in a fund controlled by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
Rep. Tim Hodge, a North Newton Democrat, said the scourge of human trafficking was an obvious challenge, but the bill proposed by Garber to require filters on all new devices tied to the internet was improper.
“Part of being an adult is not legislating morality,” Hodge said. “If Randy Garber wants to crawl into everybody’s bedroom, that is more creepy than the activity he is trying to prevent. I thought we still lived in America. We all took an oath to uphold the Constitution.”