From the First Amendment Foundation:
On Thursday, March 23, the full House Judiciary Committee IS EXPECTED TO hold a final hearing on HB 991, a bill that would rewrite the state’s laws about defamation and libel. FAF’s Executive Director Bobby Block has correctly described this bill as “a death knell for American traditions of free speech.” (Note: Pensacola’s Rep. Alex Andrade sponsored this bill)
We’re asking you to reach out to members of the Judiciary Committee to tell them how much we oppose this bill. You can see their names here. If you click on each member’s name, an email and telephone number will come up.
Attached is a piece written by Bobby describing what the bill would do — and to whom. Please feel free to borrow generously from it in your communication with committee members.
This is a bill supported by Gov. DeSantis and by many Republicans who say it will enable the “little guy” to defend himself against the liberal media. But as Bobby points out, those most affected are likely to be conservative and Christian radio stations, political websites, bloggers, and even Facebook posters.
Bobby is fighting this bill on the ground in Tallahassee, alongside many friends ranging from the conservative Americans for Prosperity to the progressive American Civil Liberties Union. But we need to let committee members know that opposition is backed by a grass-roots assemblage of people who care about our First Amendment.
So please, write, call, email, do anything you can to make your voice heard.
Thank you,
First Amendment Foundation
