Arguing COVID came from China could land you on Minnesota’s government bias registry

[Kamaji]

Arguing COVID came from China could land you on Minnesota’s government bias registry, according to new bill

By Alexander Hall, Fox News
April 26, 2023

Minnesota state Rep. Harry Niska, R., asked during a debate on a new bill whether praise for “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling or arguing that COVID originated in China would qualify as biased speech that would put citizens on a government database.

Minnesota lawmakers are mulling a change to state law, House File 181, that would log alleged bias incidents even when they aren’t considered a crime.

The bill, introduced in January, would allow people to report perceived bias-related incidents such as alleged slurs and verbal attacks that would fall outside the hate crimes compiled annually by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to the St. Cloud Times.

Republican state Rep. Walter Hudson warned House File 181 could pose a threat to religious freedom.

“It seems very clear, based upon their focus on motivation, that they’re more concerned about what’s going on in people’s heads, which is protected speech, and that’s thoughtcrime,” he told Fox News Digital in March.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/04/26/arguing-covid-came-from-china-could-land-you-on-minnesotas-government-bias-registry/

[Kamaji]

Almost certainly blatantly unconstitutional.  Viewpoint discrimination by the government is almost always per-se a violation of the Constitution.

[catfish1957]

If anyone here doesn't believe that the government hasn't already established databases of right leaning citizens,,,,,,,

[Free Vulcan]

While I hate this stuff, sometimes it has to come up so it gets slapped down in the courts.