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Introduced Version House Concurrent Resolution 6 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 6

(By Delegates Holstein and Barhart)

[Introduced February 22, 2021; Referred
to the Judiciary then Rules]

Requesting the Congress of the United States take action in regard to 47 US Code Section 230 and condemn political censorship in all forms.

Whereas, The State of West Virginia recognizes that freedom of speech is the cornerstone of American Democracy and fundamental to political debate in the United States.

Whereas, Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram represent the major platforms in which political discourse is commonly expressed and debated.

Whereas, These “Big Tech” giants possess incredible power to regulate the political discussion not just in the United States, but around the world. With any level of power comes responsibility and these companies have a responsibility to permit free speech in all forms.

Whereas, On January 8th, 2021, US President Donald J. Trump was permanently banned from Twitter and suspended from an array of social media platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Spotify, and other platforms. Thousands of other accounts have been suspended for sharing political opinion that does not fit that of the “Big Tech” elitists. This censorship is unprecedented, unparalleled, and un-American.

Whereas, It is recognized that these companies are private entities, however, the product that they offer is a platform for public speech and public communication. Censoring what an individual can say in a public forum, is an egregious violation of that individual’s first amendment right to free speech.

Whereas, This issue is bipartisan in the sense that an individual can be a victim of being silenced and freedom of speech being stripped from the individual in the 21st Century.

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:                                                                       

That the State of West Virginia hereby calls on the Congress of the United State to join together in a bipartisan effort to amend Section 230 of the US Code and condemn political censorship in all forms; and

That it hereby applies to Congress to amend Section 230 of the US Code in order to protect freedom of speech in the digital age; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the President and Secretary of the United States Senate and to the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and copies to the members of the said Senate and House of Representatives from this state.

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