Oklahoma Governor Signs Age Verification Bill Into Law

OKLAHOMA CITY—Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma on Friday signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 1959, which requires "reasonable" age verification measures to be implemented by adult websites with users logging on from local IP addresses. Making Oklahoma the latest state with age verification requirements specifically targeting pornography websites amid national legal challenges, SB 1959 was proposed by state Sen. Jerry Alvord and state Rep. Toni Hasenbeck. It advanced through the Senate earlier in the legislative session, 41-5, and then the House, 79-13. Gov. Stitt was expected to sign the proposal as part of the trend of states predominantly controlled by Republican majorities introducing similar legislation. Oklahoma has a supermajority held by the Republicans, with Stitt rounding off a unified state government controlled by right-wing politicians overall. SB 1959 will enter force on November 1, 2024. Lawmakers opted for SB 1959 over a more invasive proposal that would have outlawed all pornography in the state of Oklahoma. The new Oklahoma age verification law comes amid the Free Speech Coalition, represented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, and a plaintiff class of the world's largest adult platforms petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a case arguing that a similar age verification measure, Texas' HB 1181, is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.