Republican Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty introduced legislation Thursday that would force the Biden administration to disclose its requests for Big Tech companies to censor certain content.
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the legislation, entitled the Disclose Government Censorship Act. The bill would require the government to disclose the extent to which it attempts to urge Big Tech to engage in censorship that would violate the First Amendment. The bill would also require Executive and Legislative Branch officers and employees to publicly disclose, within seven days, any communications with technology platforms regarding action or potential action to restrict certain speech.
“The collusion between the Biden administration and Big Tech that has come to light over the last two years is not only disturbing but inconsistent with the government’s constitutional role in American life,” Hagerty told the Caller before introducing the legislation.
“The purpose of the First Amendment is to prevent government from suppressing speech with which it disagrees. If the federal government is attempting to end-run the Constitution by secretly working with tech platforms to censor Americans’ speech, the American people deserve to know. Requiring transparency will ensure that the government cannot work secretly to censor Americans,” Hagerty added.
READ THE LEGISLATION HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall and Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis cosponsored the legislation. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House, Senate GOP To Start ‘DC Home Rule’ Vote To Block District’s New Crime Law)
“No government should pressure social media companies into censoring their users’ legal speech. That is particularly true for our own government. This legislation will require transparency from governments, including the Biden administration, when they collude with Big Tech and silence Americans in the process,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Time and time again, the Biden administration and Big Tech have shown they cannot police themselves in protecting American’s First Amendment right to free speech. This bill shines a light on the collusion between bureaucrats and Big Tech,” Johnson said. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Cloud Introduces Legislation To Hold Big Tech Accountable)
Hagerty originally introduced the legislation in December 2022.