For nearly five years, the NPPA and through our membership in the Federal Shield Law Coalition has been working with Congress to craft a federal shield law. This week, it appears to be closer than ever to be enacted into law.
The House of Representatives passed a version of the shield law (HR 985) last March and two weeks ago the the Senate Judiciary Committee reached an agreement on the Free Flow of Information Act (S 448) which is a compromise bill. An integral portion of the compromise was the approval of the White House which was given two weeks ago. The bill is scheduled for mark-up next Thursday and the NPPA is asking members to call the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and encourage them to either support the bill or allow it to be voted upon if they oppose it.
According to the NPPA Counsel Mickey Osterreicher, previous “national security concerns, expressed mostly by Republicans but also some Democrats, have been addressed and significant concessions were made in the compromise bill to take national security into account.”
To find a list of Senate Judiciary members, check here.




