Louisiana Senate Considers Game Bill Passed By House
Louisiana continues to move closer to adopting video game legislation today as the State Senate considers HB1381. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Roy Burrell (D, seen at left), passed the Louisiana House unanimously on May 16th.
Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson drafted Burrell's bill and will testify on its behalf before the Louisiana Senate's Judiciary "A" Committee this morning at 10:00.
Meanwhile, the Senate unanimously passed its own video game bill on May 22nd. SB 340, sponsored by Sen. James David Cain (R), has been sent to the House for consideration and has been placed before that body's Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
Burrell's bill addresses violence in games, using a variation of the Miller obscenity standard to define which games would be "harmful to minors." Under HB1381, a judge would be required to determine whether or not a game:
1. violates "contemporary community standards" and appeals to a minor's "morbid interest" in violence
2. "depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors."
3. "taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors."
SB340 was amended prior to Senate passage earlier this month and sections related to violence removed at the urging of the video game industry. As it now stands, the bill prohibits the sale of sexually explicit game content to minors.
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