The Senate approved two measures July 21 designed to protect children from indecent material on the Internet. Both provisions were added by a voice vote to an appropriations bill for the Commerce, State, and Justice departments.
One amendment, introduced by Sen. Dan Coates (R-Ind.), would require commercial Web sites to restrict young people's access to materials that are "harmful to minors.'' The other, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), would require schools and libraries that receive e-rate universal service discounts to install filtering software. ALA's Washington Office observes that McCain's action effectively blocked Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mt.) from offering his Internet Use Policy amendment, which would require local use policies rather than mandated filtering.
Although the Senate passed the spending bill July 23, the two measures may not make it into the final legislation: The House has yet to act on its version of the appropriations measure, and Senate and House versions must be reconciled before final action.
Posted July 27, 1998.