Pornography sites will be required by state law to make sure users are at least 18 years old in order to operate in Missouri under a bill passed Wednesday.
Members of the House voted 112-25 to approve the legislation. Since the House took up the Senate-amended bill without requesting changes, it now goes to Gov. Mike Kehoe.
The bill is putting into statute rules on age verification that the attorney general's office implemented last year. In November, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway began enforcing a rule requiring providers of adult content to implement verification laws.
That could include providing an ID to access pornography sites.
Those rules have already caused changes. Pornhub, a major website in the industry, blocked access to Missouri users last year.
The House originally gave initial approval earlier in the session.
Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton, said in March it was important to enshrine those rules into statute to stop children from accessing pornographic material.
"What once required proof of adulthood is now just a click away. For a child in Missouri, all they have to do is check a box claiming that they are 18 years or older with no proof," Gallick said.
Through the legislation, businesses that publish or distribute online pornographic material must verify that anyone attempting to access that material is at least 18.
Those businesses would be barred from retaining any identifying information.
The attorney general will be responsible for enforcing the provisions of the bill.
Earlier in the week, the Senate briefly debated the legislation before sending it to the House. It passed on a vote of 32-0.
"We have responsibility to protect minors from harmful online content, and this bill ensures children do not have access to adult content and are protected through age verification requirements," Sen. Mike Henderson, R-Desloge, said.
Most of the no votes from the House on Wednesday came from Democrats, including House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City. She said in March that she was concerned that creating these rules would create more opportunities for unregulated websites.
"Websites that are less inclined to follow the rules also tend to be the types of websites that are filled with content that includes child sexual assault material that includes nonconsensual sex acts," Aune said.
Aune also said she was not sure how much of a difference the bill would make regarding access to pornography.
"If a child wants to see this content, they are going to see this content," Aune said.
Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson, is one of the Democrats who supported the bill.
"I know that it gives some people some heartburn, but, you know, vote your conscience. I'll be voting in favor of it," Proudie said.
The legislation is HB 1839.
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