Arkansas Senate Passes Bill to Make Street Photography Illegal in State

[LiberalArkie]

23. Just posted on Arkansas Times a little bit ago...

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has vetoed SB 79, a bill that was intended to "protect the names, voices, signatures, photographs, and likenesses of the citizens of the state from exploitation and unauthorized commercial use without the citizen’s consent."

After reviewing the bill, Hutchinson apparently agreed that the bill was too broadly written. In a statement, he said:

“In its current form, the bill unnecessarily restricts free expression and thus could have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. In addition, SB79 exempts certain types of noncommercial speech while failing to exempt other forms of noncommercial speech. The absence of these exemptions could result in unnecessary litigation and suppress Arkansans who engage in artistic expression.”

The bill was authored by Sen. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) and Rep. Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville). Leding said earlier in the session that it was prompted by the family of Frank Broyles, concerned about the potential use of his likeness for commercial purposes.


http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2015/03/31/bill-that-may-have-hindered-public-photography-vetoed-by-hutchinson


Note: In all the talk about the bill it was always people stealing the likness of Arkansas people without their permission. I believe there was another motive behind it.