On Thursday, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released new legislative text for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) as well as a list of additional sponsors. The latest changes fail to address two primary concerns with the legislation, including its empowerment of far-right attorneys general to censor online resources, and warnings that the bill will result in the over-moderation of content posted by marginalized communities online.

“New bill text, same problems,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “KOSA has faced years of pushback from LGBTQ groups and civil society organizations, and this latest update fails to address their concerns. The new bill still gives far-right AGs enormous power to sue social media platforms for hosting LGBTQ+ content, and the legislation still forces online platforms to over-moderate content. This is a fresh coat of election-year paint on a rotten bill.”

In response to past iterations of KOSA, dozens of LGBTQ groups have come out in opposition to the legislation, and parents of trans youth have rallied against the bill. Notably, primary bill sponsor Sen. Blackburn has applauded the bill’s anti-LGBTQ impacts, highlighting that KOSA would “protect minor children from the transgender [sic] in this culture and that influence.”

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