KOSA advances Senate panel; age verification bill falls short of meeting quorum

A Senate panel advanced the landmark Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in a markup Wednesday, while an age verification bill to keep minors off pornography websites failed after the committee did not meet quorum.

The Senate Commerce Committee’s unanimous support for KOSA was largely expected given the chamber’s previous passage of the bill, but age verification advocates were left surprised when the Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act could not move forward due to low attendance.

The SCREEN Act, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), would require pornography websites to use age verification technology to block minors from the platforms. 

While it does not go as far as other age verification proposals introduced this session, advocates saw its passage in the House — and consideration in the Senate — as a positive sign of interest from Congress.

The panel voted 15-13 in a voice vote along party lines to advance the SCREEN Act, but with........

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