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State Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, added nine amendments to HR 157 during the resolution's final committee hearing on Wednesday. Moskowitz's list of public health risks include MS-13, influenza, human trafficking, gun-related deaths and school shootings, opioids, restless leg syndrome, Nazis and white nationalists, cancer and Stormy Daniels.
Filed by Dover Republican Rep. Ross Spano, HR 157 recognizes the "public health risk created by pornography and acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research and policy change to protect citizens of this state."
Two days after Spano filed his original resolution, Orlando Weekly found that Spano's Twitter account had "favorited" a tweet earlier in January from the "Goddess Lesbian" Twitter account that featured an explicit video clip from adult entertainment company Reality Kings. Ross responded by denying he was responsibly, saying, "With a thorough examination of my accounts, it will be easy to see that this is not my doing. I have since gone back, once notified, and rectified the problem. And I’m now looking into how it occurred in the first place."
On Wednesday, Spano said the resolution has "gained some notoriety over the last few months."
"[It's] something that's kind of been a lightning rod, frankly, for me personally," he said. "It's not been easy. But it's something that I've learned that you believe in, and you believe is important even though it's difficult, you still push forward, so that's what we're doing with this."
The resolution claims pornography contributes to the hyper-sexualization of children and teens because it serves as their "main source of education regarding human sexuality" and promotes kids developing "low self-esteem, an eating disorder and a desire to engage in dangerous sexual behavior." The measure adds that porn "objectifies women, normalizes violence and the abuse of women and children, and depicts rape and abuse as harmless, thereby increasing the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, and child pornography." At Wednesday's committee hearing, Spano added that he personally believed porn "has a detrimental effect on families, dissatisfaction in marriage and marital infidelity."
Moskowitz says there is no doubt that there are studies that show a causal link Spano's resolution describes, but no medical board has recognized what the resolution proposes. As a House staff analysis pointed out, pornography addiction is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as an addiction.
The Democratic representative said the committee was wasting time by considering Spano's resolution instead of other substantive bills that could actually have an impact.
"I'm clearly doing this to undermine the resolution," Moskowitz told his fellow committee members. "I struggle with the fact that this is what we're wasting taxpayer money on."
The Commerce Committee chairman ultimately decided not to hear Moskowitz's amendments and the committee approved Spano's resolution 25-1.
