118th Congress (2023–2025) · House bill · Sponsor: Rep. Comer, James [R-KY-1]
This page covers HR140 in the 118th Congress. Bill numbers start over every Congress, so HR140 in another Congress is a different bill.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Roll-call votes | 2 |
| Chamber | House |
| Latest vote | 2023-03-09: Passed |
| Latest action | 2023-03-14: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. |
| Policy area | Government Operations and Politics |
| Official record | Congress.gov |
Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act This bill generally prohibits federal employees from censoring the speech of others while acting in an official capacity. Specifically, the bill prohibits employees of executive agencies or who are otherwise in the competitive service from (1) using their official authority to censor a private entity; or (2) engaging in censorship of a private entity while on duty, wearing a uniform, or using official government property. The bill provides certain exceptions for law enforcement, subject to specified reporting requirements. Employees are subject to disciplinary action, civil penalties, or both for violations. The bill defines censor or censorship to mean influencing or coercing, or directing another to influence or coerce, for the removal of lawful speech, the addition of disclaimers, or the restriction of access with respect to any interactive computer service (e.g., social media).
Subjects: Employment discrimination and employee rights, First Amendment rights, Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management, Internet, web applications, social media
Every recorded vote on this bill, newest first, with a link to the official tally. Member-by-member positions are on each member’s profile.
| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay | Not voting | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-09 | House | Yea-and-Nay | Passed | 181 | 174 | 8 | Official tally |
| 2023-03-09 | House | Yea-and-Nay | Failed | 172 | 180 | 11 | Official tally |
HR140 (Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act) was introduced in the 118th Congress (2023–2025) by Rep. Comer, James [R-KY-1].
On 2023-03-14: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
2 recorded votes in the 118th Congress. The most recent, on 2023-03-09, was "Yea-and-Nay": Passed.