Mississippi Senate committee passes age verification bill for porn sites

(The Center Square) — The Mississippi Senate Judiciary B committee approved a bill on Thursday that would require age verification for any site that provides material that could be harmful to minors.

The committee also approved a bill that would increase the penalties for carjacking and felony eluding of a law enforcement officer.

Senate Bill 2346, authored by Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, would hold liable any commercial entity that disseminates pornographic material and doesn’t perform “reasonable” age verification. The bill would exempt news gathering organizations and internet service providers from liability under the bill.

Boyd told the committee that she met with Louisiana Senate President Pro Tem Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, and discussed the bill passed in Louisiana. She said her bill is modeled after the Louisiana legislation, but would require the sites to delete private information after access has been granted to protect against data breaches.

“We don’t let people get alcohol or cigarettes before the age of 21,” Boyd said. “Unfortunately, this phone here (showing her iPhone), your teenagers and younger children have access to pornography at their fingertips. I was shocked at the prevalence of pornography among our teen population.”

Pornographic website Pornhub requires age verification now for Louisiana internet protocol addresses. The site uses the state’s LA Wallet online identification system, which requires a driver’s license.

SB2101, authored by Committee Chairman Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, would increase the penalties for felony eluding (when a perpetrator shows willful disregard for life or property) to a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum of 10 years. It would also increase the penalties for armed carjacking to at least five years, with a maximum sentence of 15 years.

“In many instances, especially in the Jackson metro area, you have prosecutors bringing these cases in front of them will issue a sentence and suspend all or most of that sentence,” Filligane said during the committee meeting. “It’s basically a warning. Because it’s a violent-type situation and it’s become so prevalent in this area that we don’t want judges completely suspending the sentence.”

Also in the bill, those that resist arrest would be sentenced to a felony (it was previously a misdemeanor) for a maximum two-year prison term.

Both bills are headed to the Senate floor. The deadline for bills to pass out of committee is Tuesday, while the deadline for bills to be passed out of their originating chamber is Feb. 9.