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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A bill dealing with social media censorship that was deferred last year is on the move again and on the schedule for one of the Tennessee General Assembly’s subcommittees.
Rep. Dennis Powers’ (R-Jacksboro-District 36) proposed legislation aims to stymie censorship from social media platforms regarding Tennessee elections while preserving first amendment rights of Tennesseans in today’s online public square.
Last March, Business & Utilities Subcommittee Chair Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon-District 46) announced that House Bill 0682 (HB0682) had been rolled until 2024 along with many other bills.
According to Powers, a few amendments were needed on the bill and there wasn’t sufficient time at the end of the last general session to add them.
“Some of the bills we pass have unintended consequences and affect some companies and industries that were not the target of our bill,” said Powers last year. “I thought we had addressed all of them with the bill last time, but there are other companies that say our bill will affect their day to day operations.”
Powers also said that work would have to be done on funding for the bill as its fiscal note was $100,000 but if made law, would likely generate enough revenue through fees, essentially paying for itself.
Speaking to The Tennessee Conservative last year, Powers said that conservatives have suffered censorship at the hands of Big Tech for awhile, something Congress needs to address especially in light of evidence that companies worked in conjunction with government organizations to censor information regarding political candidates.
The bill that Powers is sponsoring will give victims of censorship a cause for action, perhaps encouraging Big Tech companies to uphold first amendment rights instead of trampling upon them.
In 2022, Powers said that the bill could become model legislation for other states. “The Common Carrier Law is one that we feel has Constitutional muster, it’s the one that U.S. Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas said would work.”
To voice your support or opposition to House Bill 0682, contact the House Business & Utilities Subcommittee members listed below prior to Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024:
Clark Boyd – Chair (R) – rep.clark.boyd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7086
Rebecca Alexander (R) – rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2251
Jeff Burkhart (R) – rep.jeff.burkhart@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6804
John Ray Clemmons (D) – rep.john.ray.clemmons@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4410
Bob Freeman (D) – rep.bob.freeman@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0709
Michael Hale (R) – rep.michael.hale@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2192
John Holsclaw (R) – rep.john.holsclaw@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7450
Curtis Johnson (R) – rep.curtis.johnson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4341
Pat Marsh (R) – rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6824
Dwayne Thompson (D) – rep.dwayne.thompson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1920
Kevin Vaughan (R) – rep.kevin.vaughan@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1866
Greg Vital (R) – rep.greg.vital@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3025
Jason Zachary (R) – rep.jason.zachary@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2264
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative.
You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.