A bill filed in the Tennessee State House criminalizing the online posting of false business reviews has received a sponsor in the state Senate.
Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-SD-28) filed the companion bill to HB1664, SB1832, on January 20, 2022.
The sponsor of the original legislation, HB1664, Representative David Byrd (R-Waynesboro-HD71) previously told The Tennessee Star that he filed the House legislation because a specific situation brought to his attention just how dangerous posting false online reviews against businesses can be. There was a business that was targeted with false online reviews by its biggest competitor.
As a consumer, Byrd previously said that he is affected by false online reviews as well. “I also check online reviews and if I see one or two, then I ignore them and they don’t affect my personal purchasing decisions, but if there’s several or many, that certainly will affect my decision making.”
These bills amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 47-18-104(b) by adding the language “Posting a review on the internet about a business that is factually false with the intent to defraud the public,” as a subdivision to the list of prohibited actions and classify violations as Class B misdemeanors. Class B misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.
On January 24, the senate legislation was passed on first consideration. “Passed on first consideration” means that there were no objections to a bill proceeding through the legislative process. The normal process means that a bill will often be passed on second consideration after that and then assigned to a committee for further action. If a bill is recommended for passage by the assigned committee(s), then it goes to calendar committee of the respective chamber it was filed in, and is generally scheduled for floor action.
The House version was passed on first and second considerations and then was referred to the Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee on January 12, 2022.
Rep. Byrd said he believes that HB 1664 is a commonsense bill and ought to gain widespread support. Now it has a Senate version and sponsor, State Senator Joey Hensley.
As previously reported, State Senator Joey Hensley also recently filed legislation that has the effect of banning biological males from competing in women’s collegiate sports by directing an institution of higher education to use the sex listed on a person’s original birth certificate in the determination of eligibility.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
