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United States · Bill · HR

H.R. 13285 (95th)

Press Protection Act

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

26 June 1978

Last action

26 June 1978 · Introduced

Status

Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Rep. Drinan, Robert F. [D-MA-4], Rep. Ottinger, Richard L. [D-NY-24], Rep. Pattison, Edward W. [D-NY-29], Rep. Pease, Donald J. [D-OH-13], Rep. Pressler, Larry [R-SD-1], Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-19], Rep. Reuss, Henry S. [D-WI-5], Rep. Richmond, Frederick W. [D-NY-14], Rep. Seiberling, John F. [D-OH-14], Rep. Spellman, Gladys Noon [D-MD-5], Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-9], Rep. Studds, Gerry E. [D-MA-12], Rep. Thompson, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-4], Rep. Tsongas, Paul E. [D-MA-5], Rep. Udall, Morris K. [D-AZ-2], Rep. Van Deerlin, Lionel [D-CA-42], Rep. Vento, Bruce F. [D-MN-4], Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-24], Rep. Weiss, Ted [D-NY-17], Del. Won Pat, Antonio B. [D-GU-At Large], Rep. Young, Robert A. [D-MO-2]

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

2 September 2025

Summary

Press Protection Act - Prohibits any person acting under color of law, without a prior adversary court proceeding, from searching any place or seizing any things in the possession, custody, or control of any person engaged in the gathering or dissemination of news for the print or broadcast media, unless with a warrant issued by a court upon probable cause that such person has committed or is committing a criminal offense. Establishes a criminal fine of not more than $10,000 for violation of this Act, and creates a civil cause of action for any person aggrieved by a violation. Allows punitive damages of up to $10,000, and reasonable attorneys fees.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 26 June 1978

    Introduced

    Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 26 June 1978

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 26 June 1978

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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