HRES 500 · 108th Congress 2003–2005, ended

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Communications Commission should vigorously enforce indecency and profanity laws pursuant to the intent of Congress in order to protect children in the United States from indecent and profane programming on broadcast television and radio.

Introduced Jan 21, 2004 Originated House Sponsor Charles W. "Chip" Pickering R-MS

Latest action · Feb 3, 2004 Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

Progress

Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried. A simple resolution is the business of one chamber alone: it is not sent to the other chamber or to the President, and does not become law.

IntroducedJan 21, 2004
Agreed to in HouseNot reached

Summary

Resolves that the Federal Communications Commission should: (1) reverse its Enforcement Bureau's decision of In the Matter of Complaints Against Various Broadcast Licensees Regarding the Airing of the "Golden Globe Awards" of October 3, 2003, which found that no violation of the decency laws or regulations had occurred as a result of the airing of indecent language during the televised broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards; (2) return to vigorously enforcing the indecency and profanity statute pursuant to its declaratory order of In the Matter of a Citizen's Complaint Against Pacifica Foundation StationWBAI, which was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court; (3) make every reasonable and lawful effort to protect children from indecent and profane programming; (4) resolve expeditiously all indecency and profanity complaints and consider reviewing such complaints at the full Commission level; (5) aggressively investigate and enforce all indecency and profanity allegations; and (6) reassert its responsibility as defender of the public interest with respect to profane and indecent utterances in broadcast media.

Cosponsors 30

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 21, 2004 to Feb 24, 2004; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-WY	Barbara Cubin	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-KY	Ed Whitfield	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-OK	Ernest J. Istook Jr.	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-NM	Heather Wilson	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-VA	Jo Ann Davis	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-OK	John Sullivan	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-PA	Joseph R. Pitts	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-NE	Lee Terry	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-CA	Mary Bono	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-TX	Michael C. Burgess	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-MO	W. Todd Akin	Original	Jan 21, 2004
R-FL	Jeff Miller		Jan 23, 2004
R-TX	Joe Barton		Jan 23, 2004
R-IN	Mark E. Souder		Jan 23, 2004
R-UT	Rob Bishop		Jan 23, 2004
D-HI	Ed Case		Jan 27, 2004
R-NC	Robin Hayes		Jan 27, 2004
R-IL	Timothy V. Johnson		Jan 27, 2004
R-IL	John Shimkus		Jan 28, 2004
R-FL	Adam H. Putnam		Feb 3, 2004
R-NE	Doug Bereuter		Feb 3, 2004
R-AZ	John B. Shadegg		Feb 3, 2004
R-CO	Scott McInnis		Feb 3, 2004
R-NE	Tom Osborne		Feb 3, 2004
R-FL	Dave Weldon		Feb 10, 2004
R-AZ	J. D. Hayworth		Feb 10, 2004
D-NC	Mike McIntyre		Feb 10, 2004
R-TX	Randy Neugebauer		Feb 10, 2004
R-TX	Lamar Smith		Feb 24, 2004
D-TN	Lincoln Davis		Feb 24, 2004

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Energy and Commerce Committee	Referred Jan 21, 2004
	Communications and Technology Subcommittee	Referred Feb 3, 2004

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Feb 3, 2004Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
Jan 21, 2004Introduced in House
Jan 21, 2004Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Research

What has been written about this resolution: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this resolution, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
Serial No. 108-67	``CAN YOU SAY THAT ON TV?'': AN EXAMINATION OF THE FCC'S ENFORCEMENT WITH RESPECT TO BROADCAST INDECENCY111 pages	Energy and Commerce Committee	Jan 28, 2004

Titles 1

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Communications Commission should vigorously enforce indecency and profanity laws pursuant to the intent of Congress in order to protect children in the United States from indecent and profane programming on broadcast television and radio.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 21, 2004Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.