FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 9, 2012

Representative William Fourkiller
State Capitol Building Rm. 510B
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
Contact: Eric Russell
405-962-7819

Fourkiller Bill to Fight Obesity and Bullying to be Heard in Committee Monday

OKLAHOMA CITY(February 9, 2012) Rep. William Fourkiller, D-Stilwell, authored HB 2696 in an effort to combat obesity and bullying in schools, and this coming Monday it will receive a hearing before a House committee.

Rep. Fourkiller’s bill would levy a 1% sales and use tax on games rated by the Electronic Software Rating Board as “Teen,” “Mature,” or “Adult Only.” Half of the proceeds from the 1% tax would be deposited into the “Bullying Prevention Revolving Fund.” The other half would be deposited into the “Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund.”

“I think it’s reasonable to require an industry that profits from violence to help prevent it,” said Rep. Fourkiller.

As video games have become more advanced and more graphically and blatantly violent, debate has arisen about whether they can cause aggressive and even violent behavior.

“School shootings over the last decade since Columbine, including the Virginia Tech massacre, have shown us that a strong link between violent video games and aggressive behavior,” said Rep. Fourkiller. “The Columbine shooters played the game Doom and even modified it to simulate the type of massacre they eventually carried out. Today’s games are far more advanced and graphic. There’s even a popular video game out there called ‘Bully’ in which violence is deemed an appropriate response to every scenario.”

House Bill 2696 will also promote childrens’ health by influencing them to get off the couch, put down the controller, and go outside.

“Kids sit inside, some of them 30 or 40 hours a week, and play video games,” said Rep. Fourkiller, “and this lack of physical activity contributes significantly to our childhood obesity problem.”

There has been some opposition from the video game industry to this measure, but Rep. Fourkiller stressed that placing a tax on violent video games does not impede freedom of speech, not will it dictate the content of video games.

“The video game industry treats this as an attack, but that is not my intent,” Rep. Fourkiller said. “We have a responsibility to protect our children and to educate them. Video games, while entertaining, can counteract these goals.”

Rep. Fourkiller noted that in a nation where almost all children now grow up playing video games, violent video games may aid and abet a culture that champions even the most extreme brutality through games like the "Grand Theft Auto" series, which encourage players to kill women and hijack cars.

House Bill 2696 is scheduled to be heard before the House Appropriations and Budget Revenue and Taxation Subcommittee on Monday, February 13.

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