WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate has voted to hike the maximum broadcast indecency fine tenfold to a whopping $325,000 per infraction.
The Thursday night vote was unanimous, E! Online reported.
Talk of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act began after the infamous Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show, E! said.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., sponsored the bill, saying it was time "broadcast indecency fines represent a real economic penalty and not just a slap on the wrist.
The bill still faces a vote in the House, which had wanted $500,000 maximum fine as well as the threat of license revocation after three violations.
"We'll work together, and I don't think anything necessarily is a deal-stopper," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. "I think the prospects are very good that we end up with something that both sides can support."
