Media Coalition Urges Massachusetts Governor to Veto Unconstitutional Amendments

On March 30, 2010, Media Coalition sent a letter urging Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to use his line-item veto power to strike two overbroad and likely unconstitutional proposals from Senate Bill 997. The amendments, added late in the legislative process, would expand the state's "harmful to minors" law to encompass not just traditional media and person-to-person electronic interactions but any sort of communication transmitted via the Internet as well as expand the definition of "visual material" deemed "harmful to minors" to include data stored on phones and other similar electronic devices.

In short, content posted on generally accessible web sites, listservs, chatrooms, and social networking sites - whether or not the content is intended for minors' access - could be criminalized if the governor signs the bill in its current form.  As Media Coalition points out in its letter to Governor Patrick, S.B. 997 would force online media retailers, sexual health websites, and even independent bloggers to risk prosecution or restrict both minors' and adults' access to their content and products in clear violation of the First Amendment.

Read Media Coalition's Letter to Governor Patrick

Read the Full Text of S.B. 997

updated 4/1/10