HR7184Referred to Committee

PRESS Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-01-21
Introduced
32
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Addison P. McDowell
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.

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

Previously

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The PRESS Act would protect journalists and news organizations from being forced to reveal their sources or hand over unpublished materials during criminal investigations and legal proceedings.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
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Related legislation

Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.