Aerosmith frontman and handsome old lady Steven Tyler is working to get a bill passed in the Hawaiian state senate. HSB465—also known as The Steven Tyler Act, because, duh—would make it a civil offense for paparazzi to take pictures of celebrities while they’re living or vacationing in Hawaii. The bill was modeled after California’s Civil Code Section 1708.8, which was passed in 1998 and has been pretty dubiously effective.
To be fair, The Steven Tyler Act (which hopefully won’t encourage Tyler to start acting again) would be a step up from the California law in that it would prohibit photographers from using long-range lenses or other devices to capture celebrities during instances when they might have a reasonable expectation of privacy. For example, when they’re in their vacation homes or lazily snorkeling in a Speedo.
Tyler and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood were on hand at a hearing held today in Hawaii in support of the bill, which reportedly already has the backing of two-thirds of the Senate. While both the National Press Photographers Association and the Motion Picture Association Of America have come out against it, there are also a number of other celebrities who have spoken out in favor, including Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Tommy Lee, and the Osbournes.