Lawmaker Withdraws Anti-Porn Bill, Citing 'Dubious Origins' (ABC News)

Read the full article by Michelle R. Smith of the Associated Press at apnews.com

A proposal that would have required a filter for online pornography that could be lifted with a $20 fee was withdrawn Tuesday by a lawmaker who cited its "dubious origins."

Sen. Frank Ciccone said he pulled the bill after The Associated Press reported Monday that the legislation had been pushed around the country by a man with a history of outlandish lawsuits including one trying to marry his computer as a statement against gay marriage.

The measure, pushed in statehouses across the country by a group led by Chris Sevier, has been described as the Elizabeth Smart Law after the teenager kidnapped from her Utah home in 2002.

Ciccone, a Democrat who represents Providence, said he made the decision after the AP reported that Smart, now a child safety advocate, had sent a cease-and-desist letter to backers of the bill and "was in no way involved with this legislation." He said he felt misled by the group pushing the bill.

"But not only me. I assume there's quite a few other people," he said, adding he assumes lawmakers in other states also will pull their bills. "A lot of us had misinformation."