Hawaii Legislature Proposes ‘Steven Tyler Act’

Former American Idol judge, Steven Tyler recently purchased a home on Maui. And Hawaii legislature is looking to honor his contribution to the arts in Hawaii by naming a new bill after him, the “Steven Tyler Act.”

According to ABC News, the Steven Tyler Act will help protect celebrities against “invasion of privacy” from reporters and photographers who hound them to death while on vacation or living in the state. Any person who “captures or intends to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, through any means a visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of another person while that person is engaging in a personal or familial activity with a reasonable expectation of privacy,” would be held liable. The celebrity could sue and collect money paid to the photographer from a sale of the photos.

Hawaii legislature believes “many celebrities are deterred from buying property or vacationing in Hawaii because the same paparazzi that harass them on the mainland are more likely to follow them to Hawaii.” The bill states the “harassment” of celebrities is an issue particularly on Maui.

Hawaii officials hope the new bill will make the state a more attractive place to celebrities as a potential vacation destination or a place where they can live without harassment by reporters and photographers. J. Kalani English, the state senator who wrote the bill said he looked to California’s civil code and “copied it almost exactly.” He added, “It worked well for California…I think this helps us to fortify tourism and a film industry.”

So why Steven Tyler? The bill states it’s named “in honor of Steven Tyler’s contribution to the arts in Hawaii and throughout the world.” English added, “I have a lot of public figures who live here and this has been something that’s been on the plate for a while,” English said. “Steven stepped forward and said, ‘I can be the face of it.’”

Eighteen of the state’s 25 senators have signed on to the bill, according to the Los Angeles Times. The bill will go before a judiciary committee, however, to date, a discussion date hasn’t been set.

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