Current First Amendment legislation
U.S. Senate Bill 448 (S. 448) (as of Jan. 20, 2010)
Title: A bill to maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media.
This bill was initially sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter in February 2009 and has 11 co-sponsors. It was moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in mid-December after considerable revision. A House bill, H.R. 985, was passed in March and the Judiciary Committee considered this bill and efforts of the White House to lessen the power of judges to weigh the benefits of disclosure vs. national security in molding the final bill. S. 448 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 225.
