Lawmakers threatened to cut school’s funding if movie was shown

The University of Maryland, College Park, has canceled this weekend’s screening of a hard-core pornographic film after state lawmakers objected and threatened to cut funding to the flagship state university.
The abrupt decision to cancel the showing of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge was made by UM President C.D. Mote Jr., according to university system lobbyist P.J. Hogan. As a debate on the sexually explicit film broke out this morning in the Maryland Senate, a behind-the-scenes negotiation took place between university and legislative officials. The film was to be shown at the student union and had been approved by a student programming committee.

On the Senate floor, Sen. Andrew P. Harris, a Republican from Baltimore and Harford counties, suggested amending the state’s annual budget to deny any funding to a higher education institution that allows a public screening of a film marketed as a XXX-rated adult film, unless it is part of an official academic course.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller indicated he would vote for the budget amendment, giving substantial backing to the threat of denying the university tens of millions of dollars in state funding.

“That’s really not what Maryland residents send their young students to college campus for, to view pornography,”

said Miller. He acknowledged the legislature shouldn’t get involved in censoring movies but said the General Assembly is not going to support screening hard-core pornographic movies on a state campus paid for by taxpayer dollars.

Baltimore Sun
WTF? One of my previous students sent this to me. Maryland’s senate seem to have found their fair share of morons.

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