The governor of Utah is taking a stance against people watching other people do the no-pants dance.
Gov. Gary R. Herbert is set to sign a resolution that will declare pornography “a public health hazard.” The resolution also states that porn can lead “to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms; and recognizes the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level in order to address the pornography epidemic that is harming the citizens of Utah and the nation.”
However, the resolution does not include any enforcement powers, nor does it specifically ban pornography in the Beehive State.
A spokesman for the governor’s office said the bill is more about raising awareness. “We want Utah youths to understand the addictive habits” of porn that are “harmful to our society,” Jon Cox said per CNN.
Interestingly, a 2009 study found that Utah was the top state for viewing online pornography, with the state hosting 5.47 online porn subscriptions for every 1,000 broadband users.
Herbert will also sign a bill that specifically focuses on the reporting of child pornography. House Bill 155 requires “a computer technician who finds child pornography in the course of the technician’s work shall report the finding to law enforcement or the federal Cyber Tip Line for child pornography.”
Failure to report child pornography would be declared a Class B misdemeanor should Herbert sign the bill into law, which he is expected to do. The bill also states that Internet service providers will not be held liable in the state should they report child pornography.