DES MOINES, Iowa—House Bill (HB) 864 advanced out of the Iowa House of Representatives last Thursday in an overwhelming third-reading vote of 88-1. Eleven members were absent, reports the Des Moines Register. Introduced by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers led by Republican state Rep. Skyler Wheeler, HB 864 is yet another "reasonable" age verification requirement targeting adult material online.
The state House, dominated by a Republican supermajority, advanced the legislation to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with relative ease and be sent to the governor's desk. Considerably mild compared to recent age verification laws implemented throughout much of the Midwest, HB 864 creates a new civil liability tort to enforce action against websites that don't comply or fail to comply with age verification requirements laid out in the legislation.
Rep. Wheeler said of the bill, "This is a protection for our youth as we've done with numerous other pieces of legislation." Democratic state Rep. Megan Srinivas called HB 864 a "good bill." Democratic state Rep. Adam Zabner, the only one to vote "no" on the bill, raised concerns over privacy rights and civil liberties. Zabner said, "I don't think my constituents should have to give their private information on the internet."
