A bill that would have Arizona join at least two other states in making it a crime to use a dead soldier’s name or photo for commercial purposes without family permission is headed to Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The House voted 57-0 Monday to approve a bill (SB1014) that the state Department of Emergency Management and Military Affairs sought in response to complaints from survivors of soldiers whose names have appeared on anti-war T-shirts sold on the Internet by a Flagstaff businessman, Dan Frazier. The Senate had previously passed it.

Like laws enacted last year in Oklahoma and Louisiana, the Arizona measure would make violations a misdemeanor.

In Arizona, violations would be punishable by up to six months in jail and fines up to $2,500 for an individual and $20,000 for an enterprise.

The Arizona measure also authorizes families to sue.

Frazier contends his T-shirts are political statements and that the legislation either enacted or under consideration in the various states violates his First Amendment rights to free speech.

KTAR