HR 7808 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Stop the Censorship Act of 2020

Introduced Jul 29, 2020 Originated House Sponsor Paul A. Gosar R-AZ

Latest action · Jul 29, 2020 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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.

IntroducedJul 29, 2020
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Stop the Censorship Act of 2020

This bill modifies a social media company's immunity from liability for screening and blocking offensive content on its platform.

Under current law, the immunity applies for action taken to restrict content that is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable. The bill eliminates immunity for restricting content that is otherwise objectionable and applies such immunity when a company restricts content that is unlawful or that promotes violence or terrorism.

Under current law, such immunity also applies to actions taken to enable or make available the technical means to restrict access to such content. The bill applies this immunity to actions taken that provide users with the option to restrict access to any material, regardless of whether such material is constitutionally protected.

Cosponsors 23

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 29, 2020 to Dec 8, 2020; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-GA	Doug Collins	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-AR	Eric A. "Rick" Crawford	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-WI	Glenn Grothman	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-IN	Jim Banks	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-TX	Lance Gooden	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-FL	Matt Gaetz	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-SC	Ralph Norman	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-TX	Ron Wright	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-IA	Steve King	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-FL	Ted S. Yoho	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-WI	Thomas P. Tiffany	Original	Jul 29, 2020
R-TX	Brian Babin		Jul 30, 2020
R-CO	Doug Lamborn		Jul 30, 2020
R-AZ	Andy Biggs		Aug 4, 2020
R-OH	Bob Gibbs		Aug 4, 2020
R-FL	Ross Spano		Sep 11, 2020
R-PA	Fred Keller		Oct 23, 2020
R-IN	James R. Baird		Oct 27, 2020
R-CA	Doug LaMalfa		Oct 30, 2020
R-GA	Jody B. Hice		Dec 2, 2020
D-HI	Tulsi Gabbard		Dec 2, 2020
R-TN	John W. Rose		Dec 8, 2020
R-VA	Robert J. Wittman		Dec 8, 2020

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 Jul 29, 2020

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jul 29, 2020Introduced in House
Jul 29, 2020Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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
House	Lists H3980–H3982H.R. 7808–7855	—	Jul 29, 2020

Research

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

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 132, July 27, 2020, page H3881.

CRS reports 1

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 1

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
R46751	Section 230: An Overview	Report	Jan 4, 2024

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HR 4027	Stop the Censorship Act	Related bill	Jul 26, 2019
S 4828	Stop Suppressing Speech Act of 2020	Related bill	Oct 21, 2020

Titles 2

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

Official Title as Introduced: To amend section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (commonly referred to as the Communications Decency Act) to stop censorship, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Stop the Censorship Act of 2020

Subjects

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

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jul 29, 2020Introduced 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 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.