Two amendments from SOPA’s most prominent critics on the House Judiciary Committee were voted down within minutes of each other during Thursday’s hearing on the legislation, moving the controversial bill closer toward passage.
One amendment came in the form of a substitution from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who sought to replace SOPA with the OPEN Act he drafted in conjunction with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-O), which would shift the power of cracking down on online piracy to the International Trade Commission, rather than the U.S. Attorney General, as SOPA calls for. The bill was voted down 22 “nays” and 12 “yays.”
The other bill that was voted down was one proposed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) that would allow ISPs to refuse takedown notices that would interfere with the security of the Domain Name System (DNS).
That bill was voted down despite the nearly hoarse pleas from Rep. Issa and another SOPA-opponent, Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), the only member of the committee with any online technical experience.
“I would hope that this clarity would have strong bipartisan support,” said Polis, “It seems to me to be reasonable and safe.”
Issa asked the hearing’s leader and SOPA architect Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), why he wouldn’t support Lofgren’s amendment.
“If you could not accept this amendment, what amendment could you accept?” Issa asked.
Smith countered that Lofgren’s amendment would undermine the legislation and said that there were amendments among the 50 or so remaining that he would support.
Both of the bills voted down would have improved SOPA, according to its numerous critics. But with the bipartisan members of the House Judiciary Committee generally voting down all the amendments that critics want, it seems as though passage, while slow-coming, is likely.
