# 119-hr-1443: Public Safety Free Speech Act

119-hr-1443, Public Safety Free Speech Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1443
- As of: 2026-09-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1443
- Congress: 119
- Title: Public Safety Free Speech Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-12

## Summary

**Creates a private right to sue that shields certain public safety workers' off-duty personal speech.** This bill would let covered employees bring claims if an employer fires or otherwise punishes them for expressing personal opinions about public safety service delivery, pay and benefits, working conditions or scheduling (including PPE, tools, equipment, or vehicles), employer policies or procedures, employment expectations, or political and religious views. - Public safety employees would gain a private civil remedy when punished for those personal opinions. Courts could award actual and compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, attorneys' fees and costs, and other appropriate relief. - Employers that are public safety entities or certain local or joint governments could still discipline workers for on-duty communications, speech that encourages violence or illegal acts, advocacy of discrimination or favoritism in professional duties, disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information, or calls to withhold or diminish essential services. - The bill defines who counts as a "covered employee" and as an "employer." It also says it does not supersede 42 U.S.C. 1983 or state laws that provide deprivation-of-rights causes of action.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-02-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2025-03-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10] (D-VA), 2025-03-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2025-04-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6] (R-KY), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] (D-CT), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1] (D-NJ), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32] (D-CA), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Spartz, Victoria [R-IN-5] (R-IN), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (D-CO), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ), 2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Speech protections for public safety workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, covered public safety employees could sue if their employer punishes them for off-duty personal opinions on certain topics. Protected topics would include public safety services, pay and benefits, working conditions or schedules (like PPE, tools, equipment, or vehicles), employer polici…
- Keeps other civil rights lawsuits: benefit, low. If enacted, this would keep current civil rights claims in place. It would not block federal Section 1983 lawsuits or similar state claims. These would exist alongside the new remedy in the bill.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-3184: PFAS Alternatives Act
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-1410: 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-1443 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1443)

## Related
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-3184: PFAS Alternatives Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3184)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-1410: 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1410)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1443 (as of 2026-09-12).