A Piece of Stardom in Legislation: Laws Named After Celebrities
Snooki, Tebow, Britney and More: Laws named after stars.
March 7, 2013 — -- intro: If stardom wasn't enough, these celebrities have their names on legislation, too. Check out which stars had laws named in their honor.
quicklist: 1title: Steven Tylertext:The Hawaii State Senate passed the so-called "Steven Tyler Act" this week. The bill named after famed Aerosmith frontman aimed to protect celebrities from paparazzi.
Tyler approached Hawaii State Sen. Kalani English to sponsor this bill that would create a civil violation if photos or video footage was taken during private moments without consent.
Tyler is a homeowner in English's district of Maui and took particular interest in this cause after unsanctioned photos were taken of him and his girlfriend and then published in a national magazine last year.
Twenty-three of Hawaii's 25 Senate members voted in favor of the legislation, which will now go to the Hawaii's House for consideration.
English said that passage of the bill could prompt increased celebrity tourism in the Aloha State.
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quicklist:2title: Snookitext: From the beaches of Seaside Heights, N.J., to the New Jersey state house, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's influence is felt all over the Garden State.
In September, legislation was introduced nicknamed the "Snookiville Law."
The law, named after the star of MTV's "Jersey Shore," gives local officials more authority over the taping of reality shows in their cities. Provisions in the law would require additional fees to be paid to police needed for crowd control, among other things.
That provision could have been useful in 2010, when the bill's namesake, Polizzi, was arrested for disorderly conduct in Seaside Heights during filming.
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quicklist:3title: Britney Spearstext: Like Steven Tyler, Britney Spears had some issues with people invading her personal space, prompting legislation to be named in her honor.
In 2008, the pop sensation was sent to the hospital after she a run-in with a slew of paparazzi. Britney's ambulance showed up with an entourage of a motorcycle, helicopter and patrol car escorts to keep the star away from the lenses. The incident cost taxpayers $24,000.
The "Britney law," proposed by Los Angeles City Councilman, Dennis Zine, requires photographers to keep at least a 20-yard distance from a celebrity being photographed. Failure to do so would result in a forfeit of all profits from the pictures taken.
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quicklist:4title: Tom Cruisetext: In 2006, the California Assembly passed bill AB2360, which prohibited the sale of diagnostic ultrasound to anyone other than licensed clinicians.
The bill, nicknamed the "Tom Cruise Law," was sparked by a case in 2005, when Tom Cruise reportedly bought an ultrasound machine to monitor the progress of his unborn child with actress Katie Holmes.
The $200,000 purchase compelled doctors to support legislation that would prevent the sale of diagnostic ultrasound instruments to those who are not in the medical profession, such as the award-winning actor.
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quicklist: 5title: Tim Tebowtext: In the midst of Tebow mania, a law was passed in South Carolina honoring the football-playing heartthrob.
The Equal Access to Interscholastic Activities Act, also known as the "Tim Tebow Law," was passed by South Carolina legislators in August 2012.
Though the law doesn't have to do with "Tebowing," it does have to do with sports. The legislation allows home-schooled kids to participate in extracurricular activities at public schools. South Carolina was the 30th state to adopt similar legislation.
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