Earlier in the same legislative session, State Rep.
Of course, Pitts isn't the only lawmaker to use a bill to make a point. "This was an easy parallel."Īccording to the Index-Journal, Pitts "does not necessarily want the bill to pass," but he wants to generate a debate over First and Second Amendment rights. And that they are all equally important, and they are all separate," Pitts tells the newspaper. "My real issue is simply to start to debate about all of your constitutional rights. "Basically, it is the (concealed weapons permit) law with journalists and pens instead of guns," Pitts tells the Greenwood, S.C., Index-Journal. Those who head media outlets that hire unregistered journalists would be subject to the same penalties. The bill lays out fines - and prison time - for a "person who works as a journalist without registering," culminating in a maximum punishment of either a $500 fine or a 30-day prison term. Rogers also notes that some of the bill is patterned on gun registration laws - something Pitts, a Republican from Laurens, S.C., has acknowledged. Rogers doesn't believe the measure has much of a chance to move forward, but via email he also says the issue "highlights the importance of NOT having the government regulate journalists." "We would fight it tooth and nail," says Bill Rogers, the executive director of the South Carolina Press Association. The bill is "another (unconstitutional) waste of tax dollars," says the South Carolina branch of the American Civil Liberties Union. Titled the South Carolina Responsible Journalism Registry Law, the bill quickly drew condemnation from rights groups after it was introduced Tuesday (when it was also referred to a committee). The bill would also create a responsible journalism registry. Mike Pitts in a new bill in South Carolina's Legislature. Criminal background checks and assurances that a person "is competent to be a journalist" are among the requirements put forth by State Rep.
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