TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Republican lawmaker in Florida desires bloggers who write about elected officers to register with the state, a proposal that’s raised First Amendment issues and the ire of GOP firebrand Newt Gingrich.
The invoice, filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur of Lake Mary, would require bloggers to file periodic stories with the state if they’re paid for posts concerning the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, cupboard members or legislative officers.
Bloggers must disclose who paid them and the way a lot, together with different info akin to the place the publish is positioned on-line. They could be fined $25 per every day the report is late, as much as a most of $2,500 for every report. The laws wouldn’t apply to content material on “the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.”
The proposal shortly got here into the crosshairs of Gingrich, a distinguished Republican and former U.S. House Speaker, who known as it “insane.”
“The idea that bloggers criticizing a politician should register with the government is insane,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter Sunday. “It is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Florida who introduced a bill to that effect. He should withdraw it immediately.”
First Amendment teams argue the proposal violates press freedoms.
“The only thing that I can see is that it’s an attempt to limit and control free speech,” stated Bobby Block, government director of the First Amendment Foundation. “It’s an attempt to bring critics to heel and it’s an attempt to make sure that people who want to talk about you think real hard before they do so.”
It is unclear how far the proposal will go within the GOP-controlled statehouse in the course of the upcoming legislative session, which begins Tuesday. The Associated Press reached out to Brodeur in addition to Republican leaders of the House and Senate for remark.
In a Twitter publish, Brodeur stated the invoice is geared toward bringing transparency to blogs that advocate or foyer for particular causes. The textual content of his invoice states that it might apply to any blogger who’s paid to put in writing about elected officers in Florida.
“Do you want to know the truth about the so-called “blogger” invoice?” Brodeur’s publish reads. “It brings the current pay-to-play scheme to light and gives voters clarity as to who is influencing their elected officials, JUST LIKE how we treat lobbyists. It’s an electioneering issue, not a free speech issue.”
Brodeur can also be sponsoring a separate invoice that will make it simpler to sue media for defamation, a proposal pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
DeSantis has made criticizing the media a serious aspect of his nationwide profile as he gears up for an anticipated 2024 presidential run, using a tactic in style with Republicans who view information shops as biased towards conservatives.
A spokesman for the governor stated their workplace was not conscious of the blogger registration laws till it was filed. He stated the governor will contemplate the invoice in its closing type if and when it passes the legislature.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has slammed the proposal as “un-American to its core.”
“This is a clear violation of the First Amendment because it strongly discourages bloggers from speaking on politics – one of the most critical types of speech for maintaining a democracy,” the group stated in a press release.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”