Texas State Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) filed a bill on Tuesday to restrict the filming of police officers. The bill, HB 2918, would criminalize the filming, photographing, and recording of law enforcement officials within 25 feet of officers performing their duties. The distance would be expanded to 100 feet if the person doing the recording was carrying a concealed handgun.

This proposed bill appears to fly in the face of Federal court rulings last year that allowed police to be filmed and recorded while doing their work.. In the most recent court decision, the Federal 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a New Hampshire woman had the right to videotape the police officer under the First Amendment.

The bill grants an exception to the “news media.” Disturbingly, the bill defines the news media as the following:

(2) “News media” means: (A) a radio or television station that holds a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission; (B) a newspaper that is qualified under Section2051.044, Government Code, to publish legal notices or is a free newspaper of general circulation and that is published at least once a week and available and of interest to the general public in connection with the dissemination of news or public affairs; or (C) a magazine that appears at a regular interval, that contains stories, articles, and essays by various writers, and that is available and of interest to the general public in connection with the dissemination of news or public affairs.

Online media and bloggers are not covered under the definition of “news media,” though the growth of citizen journalism has been a significant part of law enforcement increasingly being under a more watchful public eye. As many media companies are making cuts to their newsroom staff and closing old-fashioned newspapers Internet citizen journalism has increased.

And Villalba’s bill would essentially criminalize bloggers who dared to record police.

Texans and others across the country are outraged at Villalba’s bill, something they’ve made known on the Texas politician’s Twitter and Facebook account.

Villalba took to Twitter to explain the intent of his bill.

HB 2918 is meant to protect officers, NOT restrict the ability to keep them accountable. It DOES NOT prohibit filming. @TMPALegislative — Jason Villalba (@JasonVillalba) March 12, 2015

However, Villalba started getting a little frustrated with critics when they kept pressing him on it.

@TweetTonyMac @JohnRHorton @Copwatch In all seriousness, do you really think the cops are a threat to our community? My goodness! #Ferguson — Jason Villalba (@JasonVillalba) March 13, 2015

@bdrileysaustin I have not restricted filming police. Merely asking folks to stand back a little to let the cops do their job. — Jason Villalba (@JasonVillalba) March 13, 2015

Villalba then issued a challenge to opponents of his bill, daring them to vote him out on his Facebook page. It appears some local Tea Party activists are preparing to take him up on this challenge.

A Facebook page went online yesterday called “Reagan Conservatives Against Jason Villalba.” Dallas area tea party activist and former Congressional candidate Katrina Pierson had harsh criticisms for Villalba when asked about this bill for Rare.

“Working to strip the rights away from citizens is unacceptable,” Pierson said. “Mr. Villabla is a complete embarrassment of the Republican Party and to the State of Texas,” she added.

The combination of Villalba’s perceived arrogance and the bill itself has appeared to galvanize opposition to him. However, time will tell whether the current outrage will lead to anything concrete. Villalba is up for reelection again in 2016, but he only faced Libertarian Party opposition in his last general election and did not have an opponent in the Republican primary in 2014.