Nebraska Lawmakers Advance Age Verification Measure

LINCOLN, Neb.—State lawmakers in the unicameral Nebraska legislature have voted to adopt age verification requirements targeting adult entertainment websites. The vote comes after Sen. Dave Murman, a far-right lawmaker representing the rural community of Glenvil, drastically amended Legislative Bill 1092 after it stalled in the unicameral Judiciary Committee just weeks ago. AVN reported on the refining of Murman's bill earlier this week, noting the amendments to the legislative language. Previously slated to die in the legislative calender, the reintroduced LB 1092 advanced through the unicameral legislature with a vote of 31-0. 15 of the more liberal members of the legislature simply voted "present" to signal opposition. LB 1092 now introduces digital identification language. "Digitized identification card means a data file that contains all of the data elements visible on the face and back of a government-issued operator's license or identification card and displays the current status of the license or card," reads the new bill language. The bill highlights explicitly other "reasonable" age verification measures, including government-issued documentation and publicly available transactional data. Critics of other age verification proposals argue that requiring adults to provide sensitive personally identifiable information risks privacy rights.  The bill has advanced to the desk of conservative Gov. Jim Pillen, who is expected to sign the age verification proposal into law.