Note: For audio of State Rep. Mike Brown discussing this legislation, go
to
http://www.okhouse.gov//OkhouseMedia/audio.aspx and click on the "Rep.
Mike Brown" file or go directly to
http://www.okhouse.gov//OkhouseMedia/MediaSite/Audio/mb4exploitation.mp3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Mike Brown
Capitol: (405) 557-7408
Tahlequah: (918) 456-1959
Lawmakers Vote to Outlaw Exploitation of Military Dead
OKLAHOMA CITY (February 14, 2006) - State lawmakers voted Tuesday to
outlaw marketing that uses images of soldiers without the consent of the
person pictured or that individual's family.
House Bill 2643, by State Rep. Mike Brown, makes it illegal for
a business to use the "name, portrait, or picture of any soldier" in ads
without prior consent.
Brown filed the bill after a constituent complained that items
were being sold on e-bay that included pictures of her son, a soldier
killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
"I don't care if these businesses are saying good things about
the war in Iraq or bad things. It doesn't matter - they're making a
profit from the death of our soldiers," said Brown, D-Tahlequah. "This
is worse than rubbing salt in a bad wound."
The soldier's mother wrote to complain that her son's face "has
been carved onto a piece of toast and is being sold on e-bay." In
addition, an Arizona vendor was using their son's name on T-shirts and
car magnets without the family's permission.
If House Bill 2643 becomes law, it will apply to those who seek
to profiteer by exploiting the death of both active duty members and
former members of the Armed Forces of the United States.
Violations of the law would be punishable by up to one year in
jail and a $1,000 fine.
"No one should be able to make a profit off someone's death,"
Brown said. "Whatever your views of the war in Iraq, we need to stand
behind our soldiers and their parents."
House Bill 2643 passed out of the House Corrections Committee on
Tuesday. It will next receive a vote from the entire Oklahoma House of
Representatives.
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