Actually (and thankfully) HB2549 been '
stopped,' and won't be sent to Brewer's desk in its existing form.
My favorite part of the story is the fact that one of the bill's sponsors (Rep. Vic Williams) basically called its critics a bunch of conspiracy theorists who don't understand the bill.... and now he's having to eat his own words a bit.
Williams
posted the following to the comments on a Phoenix New Times article about the bill:
Quote:
As the co-sponsor of HB2549 I can see the conspiracy have their tin-foil hats on tonight.
HB2549 is being chased down by the ?black-helicopter? crowd. Their claims of internet restriction are unfounded and way off base!!
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The only problem with that assertion being that the only critic of the bill actually quoted in the New Times piece was First Amendment expert and UCLA law professor
Eugene Volokh; whatever else Eugene might be, he's not a conspiracy theorist, or someone who is likely to "misinterpret" the scope of a bill that concerns First Amendment-protected expression.
Now, of course, Williams is backing off a bit on his "conspiracy theorist" assertion, and he's actually accepting assistance in crafting narrowing construction from one of the groups that criticized the bill in the first place. So far as I'm aware, though, he has issued no apology, or admission that he was wrong.
In other words, Vic Williams comes out swinging, basically calling anybody who questions the constitutionality of the bill an idiot, subsequently realizes the critics are right and that the bill's language really
IS overly broad, finally accepts help from one of the groups he insulted.... and doesn't apologize for slighting them along the way.
One thing is undeniable; he's in the right profession.