Photo: Getty Images North America
Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has filed a new bill that would require any so-called "altered media," including political memes, to include a government-approved disclaimer.
If passed, violations of Phelan's HB-366 could come with a punishment of up to a year in jail.
It is now being called out as a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Attorney Tony McDonald said, "This idea that anybody in government should be criminalizing speech, where the government gets to tell you what the truth is. I mean, that's nonsense."
He went on to say that he isn't particularly surprised by this bill, given the current leadership inside the Texas House. He said, "The House of Representatives is run by incredibly unserious people, who can't even look at this and recognize that it makes them look stupid."
According to McDonald, this really isn't anything new. He likened it to what historical kings would do in Europe, saying, "People in power get arrogant by that power, and they try to silence people."
Some have suspected that this bill may even be a response by Phelan to a popular segment on Michael Berry's show on KTRH Radio, in which a voice actor portrays an inebriated parody of the former speaker.
Berry reacted to the news of the bill on yesterday's edition of his show. He said he had heard that the parodies had become popular in the Texas Capitol and called the bill "Soviet level." He also referred to it as "sad, and embarrassing."
KTRH reached out to Representative Phelan's office for a statement on his bill, and according to one of his staffers, he has not yet decided whether or not he supports it.