The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.
This Act adopts the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act ("the Act") authored by the Uniform Law Commission. The Uniform Law Commission “provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.” The Act was adopted by the Uniform Law Commission in October 2020 and has been adopted in 10 states, including New Jersey…
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This Act adopts the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act ("the Act") authored by the Uniform Law Commission. The Uniform Law Commission “provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.” The Act was adopted by the Uniform Law Commission in October 2020 and has been adopted in 10 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is currently pending in 10 states. The Act protects the public’s right to engage in activities protected by the First Amendment without abusive, expensive legal retaliation. Specifically, the Act combats the problem of strategic lawsuits against public participation, also called “SLAPPs.” A SLAPP may come in the form of a defamation, invasion of privacy, nuisance, or other claim, but its real goal is to entangle the defendant of a SLAPP in expensive litigation and stifle the ability to engage in constitutionally protected activities. While Delaware has an “anti-SLAPP” law (see §§ 8136 through 8138 of Title 10 of the Delaware Code), the law received a score of “D-” from the Institute for Free Speech due to limited types of speech it protects and lack of basic protections provided by the Act.
Every action
12 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.
CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate · Senate Executive
CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 5 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits · Senate Executive
SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT20–0 vote
CommitteeAssigned to Judiciary Committee in House · House Judiciary
CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 7 On Its Merits · House Judiciary
HouseAmendment HA 1 to SB 80 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
HouseAmendment HA 2 to SB 80 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
HouseAmendment HA 1 to SB 80 - Stricken in House
HouseAmendment HA 2 to SB 80 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
HousePassed By House. Votes: 38 YES 1 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT
SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
GovernorSigned by Governor
Roll calls
3 recorded votes: 3 on the floor, 0 in committee. Each shows how every member voted.
Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT · Full Senate