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Phoenix, AZ – A state legislator proposed a new law that would tax Arizona residents for watching pornography and put the proceeds towards President Donald Trump’s border wall.
Republican State Senator Gail Griffin sponsored House Bill 2444 that would require electronics manufacturers to install porn-blocking software on Arizona residents’ phones, computers, and tablets, according to KTVK.
If the bill were to become a law, products that make Internet content accessible could not be made, sold, leased, or distributed in the state unless they contained blocking software for obscene materials installed, KSAZ reported.
Users would have to pay a one-time fee of at least $20 to access pornography on their personal devices.
The proposed law included strong penalties for anyone who tried to deactivate a blocker.
KTVK reported that anyone caught trying to get around the blocking software would be charged with a misdemeanor crime.
Griffin’s proposed legislation suggested that the money collected from the tax should be dedicated to a new account named the “John McCain Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Fund.”
The money from that fund would be used to build a border wall between Mexico and Arizona, and to pay for border security.
Proceeds of the tax could also be used for helping human trafficking and domestic violence victims in their efforts to get housing, jobs, and health care, according to KSAZ.
But on Tuesday, however, Griffin announced that she wasn’t going to move forward with the legislation.
“The language was submitted by a constituent, it’s not going anywhere so there’s no story there,” Griffin said, according to KTVK.
First Amendment experts said the bill would have faced numerous legal challenges.
Dan Barr, a First Amendment attorney, pointed out that pornography is free speech protected by the Constitution.
The federal government has been shut down since Dec. 22, 2018 while President Trump and Democratic leadership battled over funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.