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Committee advances bill to require adult‑content filter on phones; effective date moved to Oct. 1
Summary
A House committee voted to report Senate Bill 186 as amended after a public hearing and committee discussion, setting the measure's effective date for Oct. 1 and directing it to the next legislative stage.
A House committee voted to report Senate Bill 186 as amended after discussion and public comment, moving the billto an Oct. 1 effective date.
Senator Chambless, who presented the measure to the committee, said the bill follows language already enacted in other states and that the filter would be implemented as a software update on phones. "The filter is on the phone. It's a software update," Chambless said during the committee hearing, adding that the technology is already in use elsewhere.
The bill drew questions from committee members and public commenters about who would pay for or manufacture the technology and whether automated filters could block legitimate educational material. A committee member asked whether the filter might mark historical research, such as on slavery or the Holocaust, as obscene; Chambless replied that the filter is targeted at "adult content" but acknowledged no filter is 100 percent effective.
Public comment included concerns that the proposal represented government overreach and an argument that responsibility rests with parents. A commenter said, "I think what the feeling is that it's the parent's responsibility," while others said stronger regulation was necessary to protect children.
The committee moved and seconded a motion to report the bill as amended. Members voted in favor; the committee recorded two abstentions and no recorded 'no' votes.
The bill as amended replaces a portion of the text on pages 5through6 and sets the actto become effective Oct. 1. The sponsor said the change adjusts the bill's effective date and the committee packet includes the amendment.
The committee discussion noted the bill's similarity to measures passed in other states; Chambless said, "This bill has been passed, and it's already active in Utah. So we're not doing anything new this time."
The committee report will advance the bill to the next legislative stage. The committee record shows the vote to report the bill as amended carried with two abstentions; no further committee actions were taken during the same hearing.
Ending: The committee concluded its public hearing on SB 186 and advanced the measure to the next step in the process.
