Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has asked his state’s legislature to allocate $50,000 in taxpayer funds to a nonprofit group that fights pornography.
Herbert included the request in his 103-page, $16 billion budget proposal, submitted to legislators last week, alongside bigger line items to fund new voting machines, a tourism marketing campaign and defense lawyers for low-income offenders.
“I am already on record that pornography is a public health issue,” Herbert told The Salt Lake Tribune, which first reported the request. “This effort is an effective way to empower parents with practical methods to protect their families from the dangers of pornography.”
The money will fund the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, a private nonprofit organization led by one of Herbert’s close advisers, Pamela Atkinson. The group holds conferences around the state; it has two events planned for 2017, in Salt Lake City and St. George. It receives most of its funding from conservative foundations and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Dum-dum-dum, dum-dum
