Kansas Lawmakers Send AV Bill to Governor's Desk

TOPEKA, Kan.—The Kansas state legislature has officially adopted Senate Bill (SB) 394, an age verification proposal introduced by Republican Rep. Susan Humphries. Now, the bill has officially been transmitted to the desk of Gov. Laura Kelly, a moderate Democrat. There is no clear indication as to Kelly's expected course of action. According to the Associated Press, Gov. Kelly has a penchant for adopting legislation with bipartisan support. The Senate already unanimously adopted SB 394 during the legislative session, and a few Democrats defected from their caucus to side with the Republican majority in the House in the vote today, passing the bill 92-31. Those voting against SB 394 were primarily Democrats who expressed concern that age verification legislation could have a set of unintended consequences and prove to violate the First Amendment. Kelly can veto the bill, but the Republican supermajority in the Kansas state legislature has enough votes to override it. SB 394 will make Kansas the latest state to implement age verification requirements targeting adult entertainment platforms or platforms with 25 percent of their content considered "harmful to minors." AVN reported on the second reading debate of SB 394 earlier in the day.