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119-sres-424119th Congress

A resolution affirming the unwavering commitment of the Senate to the First Amendment and to freedom of speech and of the press as foundations of the democratic republic of the United States.

Sponsored By: Senator Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

Introduced

Summary

Protecting free speech and media independence from government punishment. This resolution would reaffirm the First Amendment as a foundational principle and press the President and federal agencies to refuse using licensing or regulation to punish viewpoints or editorial choices.

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  • Media organizations: Declares that licensing, regulatory authority, or other governmental powers must not be used to threaten, revoke, suspend, or penalize licenses solely for editorial content or viewpoints.
  • Federal agencies and the FCC: Urges agency leaders to affirm they will not use licensing or regulations as tools of repression and cites the Communications Act prohibition on FCC censorship.
  • The President and other leaders: Calls on the President to commit publicly to protecting free speech consistent with the Constitution.
  • Individuals exercising speech: Rebukes political violence directed at people for exercising their protected free speech rights.

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Bill Overview

No Economic Impacts Identified for this Bill

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

OR • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2025

  • Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2025

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 9/30/2025

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2025

  • Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2025

  • Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 10/3/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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