# 119-s-1247: Public Safety Free Speech Act

119-s-1247, Public Safety Free Speech Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1247
- As of: 2026-08-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1247
- Congress: 119
- Title: Public Safety Free Speech Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-02
- Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-12

## Summary

**Creates a private cause of action for certain public safety employees to challenge employer retaliation over their personal opinions about workplace and public safety policies.** - Includes law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical service workers, and certain federal firefighters. Protected topics cover service delivery, pay and benefits, working conditions including PPE and equipment, employer policies, job requirements, and political and religious opinions. - Defines employers broadly to include law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency medical services agencies, and many local public entities such as cities, special districts, and other political subdivisions. - Allows courts to award actual, compensatory, and punitive damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys' fees. Protections would not apply to on-duty comments that encourage violence or illegal acts, advocate discrimination, intentionally disclose confidential or personally identifiable information about specific individuals, or urge withholding essential services.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New speech rights for public safety: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would let covered public safety employees sue employers who fire or take adverse action for certain personal opinions. It would cover certain law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS workers. Protected topics would include public safety services, pay and benefits, workin…
- Federal and state claims preserved: benefit, low. The bill would not be read to preempt or replace 42 U.S.C. 1983 federal civil-rights claims or any State law that allows similar claims. If enacted, those federal and state causes of action could still be brought in addition to any new claim created by this bill.

## Related bills

- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-s-1630: MOMS Act
- 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-1247 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1247)

## Related
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-s-1630: MOMS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1630)
- [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1247 (as of 2026-08-12).