House GOP Seeks Media Violence Curbs

House Judiciary Committee Republicans are proposing prohibitions on the sale of films, books and other media containing violence and new rules to help adults screen pornographic or violent material available to children through compact discs or the Internet.

The measures, disclosed Monday night by the committee’s GOP staff, are to be part of a juvenile justice bill that also includes several new gun-control provisions.

The provisions focusing on the entertainment industry go far beyond what the Senate approved in its own juvenile justice bill last month in the wake of the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., that took 15 lives.

Advocates of the Judiciary proposals include the panel’s chairman, Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.). A seven-page summary released Monday night spelled out several measures, including at least three that are likely to draw close scrutiny from Hollywood and 1st Amendment advocates.

One would prohibit “the selling, soliciting, loaning or exhibiting of any picture, sculpture, video game, movie, book, magazine and other printed matter which contains explicit sexual or violent material which fails to qualify for First Amendment protection.”

A committee aide said that this would expand current restrictions on the sale of obscene or pornographic material to minors--treating extreme violence as no different from explicit sex.

“Courts have been reluctant to uphold statutes that prohibit or censor violence,” the GOP summary states. But the proposal attempts to skirt this dilemma by focusing “on the kind of violence that appeals to the prurient, morbid or shameful interest of children” without providing socially redeeming value for them.

Democrats on the committee were not immediately available for comment. But an aide to a House Democrat said: “I have a feeling people will have many concerns. The problem always is, in a free country such as ours, who will be doing the defining” of what is eligible for First Amendment protection and what is not?

It was unclear Monday night who would determine, under the GOP proposal, which movies or books are considered “too violent” and thus subject to the new prohibitions.

But it was clear that the measure was meant to carry heavy force. Penalties for violations would be a fine or up to 5 years’ imprisonment. A second conviction could bring a sentence up to 10 years.

Another proposal likely to attract considerable debate would target the music industry. Under the proposal, manufacturers and distributors of CDs and tapes would be required to give retailers copies of lyrics that accompany the recordings.

The retailers, for their part, would be required to keep on hand a copy of the lyrics for anyone over age 18 to view on request. Retailers who fail to show a copy of the lyrics to an adult customer on request would risk a fine of up to $1,000 a day.

According to the GOP summary, this provision would enable parents to check the music their kids want to buy or have bought. The current practice, in which recording companies voluntarily provide a warning label on CDs, does not give parents enough help, according to the summary.

“The fact is there are many CDs made today that contain lyrics that are clearly inappropriate for children,” the summary states.

A third proposal would impose a regulation on commercial operators of Internet Web sites. The measure would require site managers to post clearly how they collect, use and disclose personal information gathered from site visitors.

The authors of the measure maintain that children are vulnerable to operators who learn their ages and e-mail addresses and, without knowledge of their parents, sell the information to purveyors of Internet pornography.

“The day after [a] child has simply turned on his or her computer to look at legitimate material, he or she may receive dozens of e-mails from pornographers directing his or her attention to pornographic Web sites,” the summary stated.

According to the GOP document, if disclosure policies were clearly posted on a Web site, vigilant parents would be able to tell whether a particular site posed such a risk.

The new Republican proposals are bound to appeal to the party’s base. They also offer Republicans something to promote instead of gun control as the House begins its debate on the juvenile justice bill.

However, it was not immediately clear Monday night whether the measures were supported by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) or other top Republican leaders. The GOP leadership was weighing gun-control strategy and other key legislative issues.

Times staff writer Janet Hook contributed to this story.