COUNTYWIDE : Bill Sponsored by Ferguson Again Fails
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After a heated debate in the state Assembly last week, Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) failed in his attempts to revive a bill that would restrict the sale of sexually explicit materials to minors.
A motion to bring the bill before the Assembly floor failed, 30 to 12, in the Public Safety Committee.
The bill, which would have restricted the sale of sexually explicit materials to minors from unsupervised vending machines, needed at least 41 votes to move out of the committee.
Two weeks ago, the motion failed because of a tie vote.
Ferguson, who has presented the bill four times since 1987, vowed to try again next year.
He blamed the “liberals from San Francisco” for killing the bill, which has gained wide support from parent-teacher associations across the state and officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Opponents say the bill is an infringement on the right to free speech.
Ferguson said he’s sending a message to voters by reintroducing the bill. “We’re telling the public there’s something rotten up here,” he said.
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