FSC: California's Porn Age Verification Bill Defeated Over Budget Concerns

FSC: California's Porn Age Verification Bill Defeated Over Budget Concerns

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California legislature’s age verification bill, one of numerous AV bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn activists, will not be moving forward, Free Speech Coalition reported Tuesday.

The bill, an FSC statement explained, “is effectively dead after its potential price tag landed it in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File.”

As XBIZ reported, AB 3080 passed unanimously in the state Assembly with bipartisan support in May, and was being considered by the state Senate.

The Free Speech Coalition, the group’s statement explained, “was active in its opposition to AB 3080, testifying against the bill in committee hearings, meeting with legislators, and rallying allies, industry members and fans to speak out against the bill.”

AB 3080 was introduced by Republican Assemblymember Juan Alanis, a former police officer from Modesto, and would require all adult websites to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that only adults can view them.

In June, following extensive discussions with Alanis and the introduction of several amendments addressing FSC’s key concerns about effectiveness and adults’ freedom to access adult content, FSC withdrew its formal opposition to the bill.

Privacy and civil liberties advocates — including Electronic Frontier Foundation, FIRE, ACLU and Woodhull Freedom Foundation — remained actively opposed, FSC reported.

FSC Executive Director Alison Boden said, “We thank Assemblymember Alanis for working so earnestly with us throughout the life of this bill. We completely agree with the need to keep minors from accessing age-inappropriate content without unintentionally blocking millions of adult consumers. We continue to believe this is possible and look forward to working with him and other members of the Assembly in future sessions.”

Bills placed in the Senate Appropriations “suspense file,” the FSC statement explained, are “held until the state budget has been prepared and are then considered in relation to available revenue. California’s on-going budget deficit makes bills placed in suspense unlikely to move forward, effectively killing them.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

BranditScan Names Subgirl Newest Brand Ambassador

BranditScan has named content creator Subgirl its newest brand ambassador.

Arcom Reports Age Verification Enforcement Actions Against 5 Adult Sites

French media regulator Arcom released a statement Tuesday detailing recent actions to enforce age verification rules as set forth under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

Pineapple Support, Clips4Sale to Host Performers' Partners Support Group

Pineapple Support and Clips4Sale are hosting a free online support group for partners and family members of adult industry professionals.

FSC Mourns the Loss of Board Director Emeritus Mark Kernes

Free Speech Coalition has released a statement regarding the passing of Board Director Emeritus Mark Kernes.

Alexa Creed Launches New Paysite

Creator Alexa Creed has launched a new membership site through MyMember.site.

Choice Talent Management Launches Fan Platform 'ChoiceFilmz'

Choice Talent Management CEO Chris Crisco has launched a new fan platform called ChoiceFilmz.

Dredd to Launch Official Site

Dredd has announced his new website OfficialDreddXXX.com, launching April 20.

New Pleasure Product Review Site 'ToyChats' Launches

ToyChats.com, a pleasure product review and discussion site, has officially launched.

AEBN Reveals Jade Venus as Top Trans Star for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Jade Venus landing atop the leaderboard.

SexLikeReal Debuts 'AI Passthrough' Feature

SexLikeReal has introduced an AI Passthrough for video editing during VR livestreaming.

Show More