Effective August 1, 2006, minors under the age of seventeen will be forced to pay a fine no higher than $25 for renting or purchasing restricted video games in Minnesota. The bill, known as SF0785, was signed into law early on June 1st by Gov. Tim Pawlenty after finding substantial support from members in both the state house and senate.
The proposition also requires retailers to post up warning signs that display the following text: “A person under the age of 17 is prohibited from renting or purchasing a video game rated AO or M. Violators may be subject to a $25 penalty.”
Unlike any of the previous bills proposed following the Hot Coffee incident, this particular one focuses on punishing the consumer. Problems may arise, however, since retailers, who face no penalty in the matter, have no incentive to do their part in enforcing the law.
"It’s the retailers that buy the games or rent the games that know what they’ve got there," complained Rep. Barb Goodwin. "If they choose to rent those to children then they ought to pay the fine. They are the ones profiting off of it."
