House Judiciary Committee Passes Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act

PPSA is pleased that the House Judiciary Committee reported H.R. 4250, the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act, to the full House by a unanimous 23-0 vote.

Many reporters have had their records seized by federal prosecutors, sometimes by secret orders to cloud computing companies. This bill, long supported by PPSA and civil liberties sister organizations, would protect journalists and their sources by granting a privilege to shield confidential news sources in federal legal proceedings. It contains reasonable exceptions in cases where application of the privilege could result in serious harm. 

Former Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who served as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and now as PPSA Senior Policy Advisor, said:

“Journalism and the right to report on government actions must be better protected. We’ve all seen law enforcement officials under multiple recent administrations issue secret orders to surveil the private communications of journalists. Their freedom to report on government misdeeds is critical to maintaining a free society, and I encourage the broader House of Representatives to swiftly approve this legislation, as they have in the past.”  

PPSA would like to extend its gratitude to Reps. Kiley and Raskin for their leadership in introducing the bill, as well as to Chairman Jordan and Ranking Member Nadler for their support in moving it through committee.

The PRESS Act’s passage is the result of overwhelming bipartisan support for freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution, as well as support for our Fourth Amendment right to privacy. We hope the full House will take up and pass this important legislation soon.