HR7184Referred to Committee
PRESS Act
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber4
Passed Both5
Signed into Law119th
Congress
2026-01-21
Introduced
32
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘType
Sponsor
Addison P. McDowell
Republican · NC · Representative
Votes with party: 97.1% (549 recorded votes)
Full profile: /officials/M001240
Source: Congress.gov · FEC
Cosponsors (32)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
- Brian Jack (R-GA-3)Original· 2026-01-21
- Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11)Original· 2026-01-21
- Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24)Original· 2026-01-21
- Craig A. Goldman (R-TX-12)Original· 2026-01-21
- Marlin A. Stutzman (R-IN-3)Original· 2026-01-21
- Mike Carey (R-OH-15)Original· 2026-01-21
- Pat Harrigan (R-NC-10)Original· 2026-01-21
- Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX-14)Original· 2026-01-21
- Rudy Yakym III (R-IN-2)Original· 2026-01-21
- Stephanie I. Bice (R-OK-5)Original· 2026-01-21
- Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22)Original· 2026-01-21
- Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr. (R-PA-8)· 2026-01-27
- Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13)· 2026-01-30
- Jake Ellzey (R-TX-6)· 2026-01-30
- Lance Gooden (R-TX-5)· 2026-02-04
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28)· 2026-02-09
- Keith Self (R-TX-3)· 2026-02-09
- Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24)· 2026-02-11
- Pete Sessions (R-TX-17)· 2026-02-12
- Brandon Gill (R-TX-26)· 2026-02-13
- August Pfluger (R-TX-11)· 2026-02-23
- Clay Higgins (R-LA-3)· 2026-02-24
- Neal P. Dunn (R-FL-2)· 2026-03-04
- Erin Houchin (R-IN-9)· 2026-03-05
- Mark Harris (R-NC-8)· 2026-03-12
- Robert E. Latta (R-OH-5)· 2026-03-12
- Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ-4)· 2026-03-18
- Laurel M. Lee (R-FL-15)· 2026-03-26
- Clay Fuller (R-GA-14)· 2026-04-16
- Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ-7)· 2026-04-27
- Matt Van Epps (R-TN-7)· 2026-05-11
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-01-21
Source: Congress.gov
Committee Activity
Currently in
- House Committee on the JudiciaryReferred To · 2026-01-21
- House Committee on Energy and CommerceReferred To · 2026-01-21
Previously
- Energy and Commerce CommitteeReferred To · 2026-01-21
- Judiciary CommitteeReferred To · 2026-01-21
Plain-English Summary
The PRESS Act would protect journalists and news organizations from being forced to reveal their sources or hand over unpublished materials during criminal investigations and legal proceedings. The law would establish a federal "shield" that allows reporters to keep confidential sources secret unless the government can prove the information is essential to a case and cannot be obtained any other way. This would affect news organizations, law enforcement agencies, and anyone involved in legal cases where journalists might be subpoenaed for their reporting.
AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.
Subjects
Crime and Law Enforcement
Full bill text is not yet cached locally.
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