A bad bill in Florida

The Guardian reports:

A Florida bill that would require bloggers who write about the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, to register with the state proved a step too far even for the godfather of far-right Republicanism, the former US House speaker Newt Gingrich.

“The idea that bloggers criticising a politician should register with the government is insane,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter.

“It is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Floridawho introduced a bill to that effect. He should withdraw it immediately.”

The bill was introduced by Jason Brodeur. It states: “If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register” with the appropriate state office.

The bill defines “elected state officer” as “the governor, the lieutenant governor, a cabinet officer, or any member of the legislature”. As penalty for failure to comply, it posits fines of up to $2,500.

It is a terrible bill. In theory it only applies to bloggers who are paid to blog, but that in itself is no reason to make people register with the government.

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