The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature passed the proposal Tuesday, sending it to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Kansas is poised to require pornography websites to verify visitors are adults, a move that would follow Texas and a handful of other states despite concerns about privacy and how broadly the law could be applied.
Weeks ago, a federal appeals court upheld the Texas age-verification requirement as constitutional and the Oklahoma House sent a similar measure to the state Senate. In Kansas, some critics questioned whether the measure would violate free speech and press rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Last year, that issue was raised in a federal lawsuit over the Texas law from the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry.
But critics of the bill, mostly Democrats, argued that the law could be interpreted broadly enough that LGBTQ+ teenagers could not access information about sexual orientation or gender identity because the legal definition of sexual conduct includes acts of “homosexuality.” That means “being who we are” is defined as harmful to minors, said Rep. Brandon Woodard, who is gay and a Kansas City-area Democrat.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Viral video of Biden effigy beating prompts calls for top Kansas Republican leaders to resignTwo top Kansas Republican Party officials are facing internal calls to resign over a viral online video showing people at a fundraiser kicking and beating a mannequin wearing a mask of President Joe Biden.
Read more »
Republican majorities block efforts to expand Medicaid in Georgia and KansasRepublican lawmakers in Georgia and Kansas have shot down attempts by Democrats to expand Medicaid in their states.
Read more »
No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise offers endorsement in Kansas House raceEXCLUSIVE – House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise has endorsed Dr. Prasanth Reddy for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District.
Read more »
Tennessee Republican sued over post falsely identifying Kansas man as Chiefs parade shooter and ‘illegal Alien'A Kansas man is suing Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., over social media posts that falsely identified him as an undocumented immigrant and one of the shooters in…
Read more »