| 1 | 1 | | 89R13974 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Schatzline H.B. No. 4189 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to content filters provided by Internet service providers. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 10, Business & Commerce Code, |
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| 12 | 12 | | is amended by adding Chapter 330 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 330. CONTENT FILTERS PROVIDED BY INTERNET SERVICE |
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| 14 | 14 | | PROVIDERS |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 330.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Customer" means a person in this state who |
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| 17 | 17 | | purchases Internet service from an Internet service provider. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Explicit material" means visual material |
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| 19 | 19 | | depicting: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) the intimate parts of a person; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) sexual conduct; or |
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| 22 | 22 | | (C) simulated sexual conduct. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) "Filter" means software provided to a customer by |
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| 24 | 24 | | an Internet service provider that is capable of preventing the |
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| 25 | 25 | | customer from accessing or displaying explicit material. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) "Internet service provider" means a person |
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| 27 | 27 | | providing connectivity to the Internet or another wide area |
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| 28 | 28 | | network. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (5) "Sexual conduct" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 30 | 30 | | Section 21.16, Penal Code. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (6) "Simulated" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 32 | 32 | | 21.16, Penal Code. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (7) "Visual material" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 34 | 34 | | Section 21.16, Penal Code. |
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| 35 | 35 | | Sec. 330.002. OPTIONAL CONTENT FILTER. (a) An Internet |
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| 36 | 36 | | service provider shall make available to each customer a filter |
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| 37 | 37 | | that the customer can choose to enable on the customer's Internet |
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| 38 | 38 | | service. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (b) A filter described by Subsection (a), when enabled, |
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| 40 | 40 | | must: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) prevent a customer from accessing, downloading, or |
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| 42 | 42 | | displaying explicit material when using the Internet service |
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| 43 | 43 | | provided by the Internet service provider; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) notify the customer using the Internet service |
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| 45 | 45 | | when the filter prevents the customer from accessing or displaying |
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| 46 | 46 | | explicit material. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (c) An Internet service provider shall make the filter |
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| 48 | 48 | | described by Subsection (a) available at no additional cost to the |
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| 49 | 49 | | customer. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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