Idaho lawmakers call for crackdown on TV indecency

BOISE - Idaho legislators want the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on TV portrayals of premarital sex, including people joking about sex, lying in bed together or undressing. The Idaho House State Affairs Committee today passed a non-binding “memorial” to encourage the FCC to target such portrayals in scripted TV shows, reality shows and ads. HJM 2, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell and six GOP cosponsors, cites the Idaho Constitution’s statement that “the first concern of all good government is the virtue and sobriety of the people, and the purity of the home,” and says, “Inappropriate and indecent material is being broadcast more frequently.” The measure also notes that the FCC is charged preventing the broadcast of indecent programming between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., “when children might be watching,” and calls on the federal agency to “resume enforcement of traditional American standards of decency.” The committee’s support of the measure wasn’t unanimous. Among those opposing it was Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, who said, “I don’t think it takes into account different American lifestyles.” HJM 2 now moves to the full House for debate. Its co-sponsors are Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, and Reps. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa; Brent Crane, R-Nampa; Gayle Batt, R-Wilder; Gary Collins, R-Nampa; and Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls.