H.R. 1304 · 111th Congress
Free Speech Protection Act of 2009
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 111th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
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KingSponsor11 cosponsors · 2 D, 9 R
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Berkley
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Broun
HC
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Coble
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Franks
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Israel
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Myrick
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Poe
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Shadegg
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Wolf
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Westmoreland
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Royce10 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
Free Speech Protection Act of 2009 - Allows any U.S. person against whom a lawsuit for defamation is brought in a foreign country on the basis of the content of any speech by that person that has been published, uttered, or otherwise disseminated primarily in the United States to bring an action in a U.S.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 4, 2009
Free Speech Protection Act of 2009 - Allows any U.S. person against whom a lawsuit for defamation is brought in a foreign country on the basis of the content of any speech by that person that has been published, uttered, or otherwise disseminated primarily in the United States to bring an action in a U.S. district court against any person who, or entity which, brought the suit, if the speech at issue in the foreign lawsuit does not constitute defamation under U.S. law.
Allows the award of treble damages if it is determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the person or entity bringing the foreign lawsuit intentionally engaged in a scheme to suppress rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution by discouraging publishers or other media from publishing, or by discouraging financial supporters from employing, retaining, or supporting the research, writing, or other speech of an individual.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Free Speech Protection Act of 2009
Latest action (Aug 19, 2009): Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy.
Policy area: Law · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 4, 2009
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.