On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced the Free Speech Protection Act that will prohibit federal employees and contractors from using their positions to censor and otherwise attack speech protected by the First Amendment. The bill will impose mandatory severe penalties for those individuals that violate this rule.
The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).
“Americans are free people, and we do not take infringements upon our liberties lightly. The time has come for resistance and to reclaim our God-given right to free expression,” said Dr. Paul. “Under my Free Speech Protection Act the government will no longer be able to cloak itself in secrecy to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans.”
In addition to protecting Americans’ First Amendment rights, the bill would also:
- Mandate frequent publicly accessible reports from the heads of executive branch agencies detailing the communications between an executive branch agency and a content provider, as well as prevent agencies from employing any FOIA exemption to prevent disclosure of prohibited communications.
- Ensure that federal grant money is not received by any entity that seeks to label media organizations as sources of misinformation or disinformation.
- Terminate several programs and authorities that threaten free speech and other constitutionally protected rights.