HR 7641 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

Protecting Free Speech Act

Introduced May 3, 2022 Originated House Sponsor Lauren Boebert R-CO

Latest action · May 3, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability.

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.

IntroducedMay 3, 2022
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Protecting Free Speech Act

This bill terminates the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and prohibits using DHS funding for the activities of any other entity that is substantially similar to the board.

Cosponsors 81

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 3, 2022 to Nov 17, 2022; 55 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-WV	Alexander X. Mooney	Original	May 3, 2022
R-AZ	Andy Biggs	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TX	August Pfluger	Original	May 3, 2022
R-AL	Barry Moore	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Bill Posey	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MO	Billy Long	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Byron Donalds	Original	May 3, 2022
R-WV	Carol D. Miller	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TN	Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TX	Chip Roy	Original	May 3, 2022
R-UT	Chris Stewart	Original	May 3, 2022
R-LA	Clay Higgins	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NC	Dan Bishop	Original	May 3, 2022
R-CA	Darrell Issa	Original	May 3, 2022
R-WV	David B. McKinley	Original	May 3, 2022
R-AZ	Debbie Lesko	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TN	Diana Harshbarger	Original	May 3, 2022
R-CO	Doug Lamborn	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NC	Gregory F. Murphy	Original	May 3, 2022
R-PA	Guy Reschenthaler	Original	May 3, 2022
R-IN	Jackie Walorski	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MO	Jason Smith	Original	May 3, 2022
R-CA	Jay Obernolte	Original	May 3, 2022
R-SC	Jeff Duncan	Original	May 3, 2022
D-NJ	Jefferson Van Drew	Original	May 3, 2022
R-IN	Jim Banks	Original	May 3, 2022
R-OH	Jim Jordan	Original	May 3, 2022
R-GA	Jody B. Hice	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MI	John R. Moolenaar	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Kat Cammack	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TX	Lance Gooden	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MI	Lisa C. McClain	Original	May 3, 2022
R-TX	Louie Gohmert	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NC	Madison Cawthorn	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Maria Elvira Salazar	Original	May 3, 2022
R-IL	Mary E. Miller	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Matt Gaetz	Original	May 3, 2022
R-ID	Michael K. Simpson	Original	May 3, 2022
R-LA	Mike Johnson	Original	May 3, 2022
R-PA	Mike Kelly	Original	May 3, 2022
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar	Original	May 3, 2022
R-SC	Ralph Norman	Original	May 3, 2022
R-GA	Rick W. Allen	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	Scott Franklin	Original	May 3, 2022
R-PA	Scott Perry	Original	May 3, 2022
R-LA	Steve Scalise	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NC	Ted Budd	Original	May 3, 2022
R-KY	Thomas Massie	Original	May 3, 2022
R-WI	Thomas P. Tiffany	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MN	Tom Emmer	Original	May 3, 2022
R-MO	Vicky Hartzler	Original	May 3, 2022
R-IN	Victoria Spartz	Original	May 3, 2022
R-FL	W. Gregory Steube	Original	May 3, 2022
R-OH	Warren Davidson	Original	May 3, 2022
R-NY	Chris Jacobs		May 6, 2022
R-PA	Daniel Meuser		May 6, 2022
R-CO	Ken Buck		May 6, 2022
R-OK	Kevin Hern		May 6, 2022
R-NY	Lee M. Zeldin		May 6, 2022
R-TX	Michael Cloud		May 6, 2022
R-MN	Michelle Fischbach		May 6, 2022
R-AL	Mo Brooks		May 6, 2022
R-KS	Tracey Mann		May 6, 2022
R-TX	Troy E. Nehls		May 6, 2022
R-MI	Bill Huizenga		May 10, 2022
R-OH	Bob Gibbs		May 10, 2022
R-TX	Brian Babin		May 10, 2022
R-MI	Jack Bergman		May 10, 2022
R-TX	Van Taylor		May 10, 2022
R-FL	Gus M. Bilirakis		May 11, 2022
R-KS	Jake LaTurner		May 11, 2022
R-MS	Steven M. Palazzo		May 11, 2022
R-UT	John R. Curtis		May 19, 2022
R-TX	Roger Williams		May 19, 2022
R-VA	H. Morgan Griffith		Jun 8, 2022
R-TX	Jake Ellzey		Nov 17, 2022
R-TX	Michael T. McCaul		Nov 17, 2022
R-TX	Pat Fallon		Nov 17, 2022
R-TX	Ronny Jackson		Nov 17, 2022
R-OH	Steve Chabot		Nov 17, 2022

Committees 1

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

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Homeland Security Committee	Referred May 3, 2022
	Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Subcommittee	Referred May 3, 2022

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

May 3, 2022Introduced in House
May 3, 2022Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
May 3, 2022Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability.

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: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 73, May 3, 2022, page H4714.

Related bills 7

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

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 4124	A bill to prohibit the use of Federal funds for the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.	Related bill	May 2, 2022
HR 4776	Protecting Free Speech Act	Reintroduced Bill	Jul 20, 2023
HR 7648	To prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish a Disinformation Governance Board.	Related bill	May 4, 2022
HR 7659	To prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish a Disinformation Governance Board.	Related bill	May 4, 2022
HR 7690	To prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish or carry out the activities of a Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.	Related bill	May 11, 2022

Show all 7 related bills

Titles 2

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

Official Title as Introduced: To terminate the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security and to prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish any other similar Board, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Protecting Free Speech Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

May 3, 2022Introduced 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.