Violent Games Bill Passes California Legislature

California Senator Leland Yee's AB1179 (formerly AB450) measure, aimed at preventing the sale of violent video games to children, has been approved in the legislature and now awaits only California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature to become law. The bill passed the legislature by a vote of 65-7. The bill requires warning labels to be placed on violent games. Customers purchasing games with the label would be required to show ID; retailers who either did not check for ID or did not show the labels will be liable for a $1,000 fine per infraction. The stronger punishment written into the bill is a result of a previous effort by Assemblyman Yee to limit sales of violent games, the failure of which Yee believed to be due to a lack of consequences. Senator Yee, speaking on the bill's passage through the legislature and pending signature, said: "Governor Schwarzenegger is no longer an action star but an elected representative of all Californians; I am hopeful that he will consider our children’s best interests by signing this commonsense legislation into law and giving parents a necessary tool to raise healthy kids." Gov. Schwarzenegger now has 30 days to either sign the bill or veto it. Industry representatives from the ESA or IEMA were yet to reply to this latest move as of press time, but Marie Sylla, Director of Government Relations & Counsel for the IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association), commented of an earlier California-related legislative decision: "Retailers are making their best efforts to ensure that their stores are complying with their policy of carding for "Mature" rated games and would like to be given the same opportunity as the movie theater owners and music retailers."