[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 45 (Thursday, March 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 8, 2023

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 140) to 
     amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit Federal 
     employees from advocating for censorship of viewpoints in 
     their official capacity, and for other purposes:

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 140, the 
Protecting Speech front Government Interference Act.
  Americans know that if they see something, they should say something. 
Yet Republicans are offering H.R. 140 which will prevent federal law 
enforcement and intelligence officers from telling social media 
platforms when they see something that could cause harm. For example, 
when Russia mounted a state-sponsored campaign to influence the 2016 
presidential election, FBI agents were integral in detecting these 
actions. In order for our democracy to flourish, we must have the 
ability to stop the spread of misinformation that could cause harm.
  What this bill does is prohibit law enforcement and other federal 
employees from providing information on personal safety and consumer 
safety. If passed, H.R. 140 will allow the spread of harmful foreign 
propaganda, promote hateful and violent content online, and undermine 
our democracy. This bill is proof that House Republicans would rather 
protect debunked, right-wing conspiracy theories than the safety of our 
communities and our democracy.
  When Republicans held a markup of H.R. 140 last week, they rejected 
commonsense amendments, including proposals that would have created a 
national security exception, an amendment to help law enforcement 
prevent violence incited by neo-Nazi groups, and efforts to ensure that 
federal employees could still share essential public health and 
consumer safety information.
  Mr. Chair, H.R. 140 is yet more proof that Republicans would prefer 
to fan the flames of far-right conspiracy theories rather than bolster 
safeguards to American democracy.
  It should be rejected.

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