United States · Bill · HR
H.R. 3781 (96th)
Press Protection Act of 1979
Introduced
30 April 1979
Last action
—
Status
Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Sponsors
—
Subjects
Discovery layer
Source updated
2 September 2025
Summary
Press Protection Act of 1979 - 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.
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Votes
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Versions
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Documents
1 official file
Introduced in House
summary · EN · 30 April 1979
Sponsors
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Related records
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Sources
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- Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/house-bill/3781
- Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/96/hr/3781