To amend title 28, United States Code, with respect to the jurisdiction of Federal courts over certain cases and controversies involving the content of speech occurring during sessions of State legislative bodies, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Feb 17, 2006 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E194)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 16, 2006
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Amends the federal judicial code to provide that no court created by Act of Congress shall have any jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation or the validity, under the Constitution, of the content of speech of any member of a state legislative body or any individual invited to speak before that body, when such speech occurs during the legislative session.
Declares that any person who is a member of a state legislative body, or who is invited to speak before that body, other than as a witness, shall be immune from suit in any federal court, and shall not be held liable under any federal law, on account of the content of speech occurring during the legislative session, unless such speech constitutes treason, breach of peace, or an admission of guilt of a crime.
Prohibits the use of federal funds to enforce any court order relating to the content of speech occurring during the legislative session of a state legislative body, with the same exceptions.
Prohibits a federal court from imposing a fine on any state, state legislative body, member of a state legislative body, or individual invited to speak before that body (other than as a witness), on account of the content of speech occurring during the legislative session, with the same exceptions.
Cosponsors 38
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 16, 2006 to Sep 6, 2006; 33 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Bobby Jindal | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IN | Dan Burton | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-CA | Darrell Issa | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-FL | Dave Weldon | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-AZ | J. D. Hayworth | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-SC | J. Gresham Barrett | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-OH | Jean Schmidt | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | Jeb Hensarling | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NE | Jeff Fortenberry | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | John Abney Culberson | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-AZ | John B. Shadegg | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IN | John N. Hostettler | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NY | John R. "Randy" Kuhl Jr. | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-PA | Joseph R. Pitts | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | K. Michael Conaway | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | Louie Gohmert | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-CO | Marilyn N. Musgrave | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IN | Mark E. Souder | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IN | Mike Pence | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NC | Patrick T. McHenry | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-KY | Ron Lewis | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | Ron Paul | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NJ | Scott Garrett | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IN | Steve Buyer | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-IA | Steve King | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NC | Sue Wilkins Myrick | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-TX | Ted Poe | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-VA | Thelma D. Drake | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-FL | Tom Feeney | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-VA | Virgil H. Goode Jr. | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-NC | Virginia Foxx | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-MO | W. Todd Akin | Original | Feb 16, 2006 |
| R-FL | Katherine Harris | Mar 2, 2006 | |
| R-MI | Thaddeus G. McCotter | Mar 2, 2006 | |
| R-KY | Ed Whitfield | Mar 9, 2006 | |
| R-TX | Sam Johnson | Mar 9, 2006 | |
| R-GA | John Linder | Sep 6, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 16, 2006 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 17, 2006Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E194)
- Feb 16, 2006Introduced in House
- Feb 16, 2006Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E194 | Michael E. Sodrel R-IN | Feb 17, 2006 |
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 28, United States Code, with respect to the jurisdiction of Federal courts over certain cases and controversies involving the content of speech occurring during sessions of State legislative bodies, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 16, 2006Introduced in House
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 bill 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.