Free Speech Lobbying Days A Hit In Sacramento

The Free Speech Coalition's ninth annual Celebrate Free Speech Lobbying Days went off without a hitch earlier this week. Lobbyists representing all aspects of the adult entertainment industry met with legislators in Sacramento, CA to discuss a wide range of issues. The FSC agenda did not include any specific legislation affecting the adult industry.

"I'm happy to say there are [no particular bills we are opposed to] this year," said FSC Legislative Affairs Director, Kat Sunlove. "We have found that in forging this kind of communication between our industry and lawmakers that there are fewer and fewer terrible bills that come out of this house, because they have a better understanding of the industry."

As a result, FSC junior lobbyists were able to provide legislators a welcome break from the usual whining of other special interest groups. Instead, the focus was on education and dissemination of information.

Sunlove organized industry representatives into three person teams and scheduled each team to meet with at least nine legislative offices throughout the day. Issues covered included the .xxx top level domain debate, the proposed bill for a federal tax on adult products and services, and the FSC's lawsuit against the new USC 2257, the federal recordkeeping and labeling law.

Lobbyists also handed out copies of the Free Speech Coalition's State of the Industry Report, 2006. The report details the industry's benefits to California including the number of jobs provided, worker salaries, income from product sales and services and taxes paid to the state by workers and companies.

"The FSC is the trade association of the adult entertainment industry," executive director Michelle Freridge summarized to reporters. "We represent more than 3,500 members, and the adult entertainment industry provides more than a quarter million jobs for Californians, generates more than $32 million in taxes in California, and was a multi-billion dollar industry across the country in 2005."

(Thanks to Mark Kernes, Senior Editor at AVN, whose article I just summarized)