Republicans on a House committee have voted to set up financial consequences for social media companies that block or delete comments from Iowa elected officials or political candidates. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says Facebook, Google and other social media platforms now constitute the public square where conflicts are resolved through discussion and debate. Under Holt’s plan, tech companies blocking or tagging posts from Iowa politicians would lose state tax incentives. However, if the content is restored, the incentives for the company would be restored.

Republicans in the Senate are pursuing an even broader plan that would rescind hundreds of millions in state and local tax breaks and incentives already awarded to tech companies.