Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) wants to offer the Broadcaster Freedom Act (S. 34) as an amendment to the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act (S. 160), which will be debated next week in the Senate.
The D.C. bill would expand the House of Representatives by two seats, giving full voting rights to D.C. by way of one seat and giving another to Utah, which narrowly missed receiving an additional one after the last census was taken.
DeMint’s bill deals with the hot-button issue of the Fairness Doctrine. It “prevents the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, which would suppress free speech by requiring the government to monitor political views and decide what constitutes fair political discourse,” according to an official press release.
DeMint made this statement:
“I’m glad President Obama finally confirmed his opposition to the Fairness Doctrine, which attacks the right of free speech on talk radio, but many Democrats in Congress are still pushing it. With the support of the new administration, now is the time for Congress to take a stand against this kind of censorship,” said Senator DeMint. “I intend to seek a vote on this amendment next week so every senator is on record: Do you support free speech or do you want to silence voices you disagree with?”
According to the release, the bill currently has 29 co-sponsors. All are Republicans.
Bill Text:
Congress in Your Pocket
