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| Long title | A Bill to prevent the censorship of potentially obscene material by the Federal Government |
|---|---|
| Acronyms (colloquial) | ACB |
| Nicknames | Wilson Act |
| Enacted by | the 96th United States Congress |
| Legislative history | |
The Anti-Censorship Bill of 1979 is a bill proposed by Republican Senator David Wilson of Ohio. The bill emphasizes that the government may not make any law that censors televised entertainment based on arbitrary moral standards.
In order to allow people to make their own decision on this matter, all control will be ceded to the head of the household, who will personally decide which content they feel is appropriate for viewing and which content is inappropriate. This will allow households to view the program in the fashion they please, without it affecting the program nationwide.
Text[]
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Senator Wilson introduced, for himself, introduced the following bill:
A BILL
To prevent the censorship of potentially obscene material by the Federal Government
Section 1. This act shall hereafter be referred to as the Anti-Censorship Bill of 1979.
Section 2. From this day forth, the following provisions shall be met:
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shall not make any decision to censor potentially "obscene" material on the grounds of "Shielding children from potentially offensive material."
- No governmental organization shall contain the power to commit similar actions.
- The decision to censor potentially "obscene" material will be left up to individual households. Personal responsibility will be ceded to the head of the households, and they will be expected to make individual decisions on the matter.
- The head of the household will be defined as the guardian of the household. This includes parents, grandparents, relatives, etc.
Section 3. Should any government official attempt to make any decision to censor potentially "obscene" material on the grounds of "Shielding children from potentially offensive material", they will be subjected to a fine of no more then $15,000.
Action[]
- Q1 1979 - Introduced by Senator David Wilson (R-OH)
- Q1 1979 - Debated on the Senate Floor
- Q1 1979 - Cosponsored by Senators Pastore and Stevens
- etc