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The Texas Senate, USA, passed a bill banning social media companies with at least 100 million users a month to block, ban, remove, or discriminate against any user due to their political scores.
The Senate Bill 12, which is sponsored by Sen. Bryan Hughes of the Republic of Texas, passed on Thursday (April 1) and will apply to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other platforms.
Hughes said in a video posted on Twitter that the bill would “bring Texans online again.”
“I think we all have to admit, these social media companies are the town’s new square,” Hughes said.
“And a small group of people in San Francisco cannot order free speech for the rest. It needs to be an open exchange of ideas and Senate Proposition 12 will get Texans back online. ”
He said the bill is being moved to the House of Representatives and is expected to be scrutinized, adding that he hopes the governor will sign it into law soon.
After several hours of debate, Senate Bill 7 (Election Integrity) and Senate Bill 12 (Social Media Censorship) fully passed the Texas Senate early this morning. #txlege #SB12 #SB7 @Scott_SanfordTX @BriscoeCain pic.twitter.com/HdQPc2FBy7
— Senator Bryan Hughes (@SenBryanHughes) April 1, 2021
This measure will require companies to publish their censorship policies, publish reports on platform-blocked content, and create an appeal process for removed content, according to The Epoch Times.
Two companion bills have been sent to the House of Representatives but have not yet been forwarded to the State Affairs Commission. Mr. Hughes is very optimistic about the bill and said his team is strong and sharp, getting ready to take the fight to court.
“We know we will be sued if we pass this bill. Facebook will take us to court. Facebook, Google and Twitter have armies of lawyers and lobbyists who will fight with us on this issue. But we are on the right side, the law is on our side. Yes, we expect this bill to pass, apply and protect Texans’ freedom of expression, ”Hughes told NTD in February.
Hughes said the problem “calls for a federal solution”, but cannot expect much from it. He believes the bill would exceed federal limits and would serve as a model for other states to do the same.
