Committee recommends SB 1567 after rules attorney warns definitions could sweep too broadly

The Rules Committee recommended Senate Bill 1567 as constitutional and in proper form after the rules attorney raised concerns about the bill's breadth.

The rules attorney summarized the bill as prohibiting government entities and their contractors from exposing minors to explicit materials. She said the bill's definition of explicit material in this draft is broader than in related measures and raised the same vagueness concern about the term "facilitating." She added a particular concern that subsection B could be reasonably read to prohibit use of a private person's property by a government contractor to film or otherwise facilitate explicit acts, which could reach beyond government property and create unintended consequences.

The rules attorney advised that adding clarifying amendments to narrow scope and specify applicability to government functions could address the issue. The committee recorded a roll-call recommendation of five ayes, two nays and one absent.

What happens next: Sponsors may be advised to pursue clarifying language to limit the bill's reach to government property or government functions and to specify what "facilitating" entails.