Irons in the Fire: 30 bills take aim at crucial online issues

Irons in the Fire: 30 bills take aim at crucial online issues

The swirling news vortex of a Presidential election cycle tends to suck all the oxygen out of nearly any issue that dares to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with early primaries, delegate counts, and "Super Tuesday." But other issues are out there, quietly marking time.

One such issue is legislation aimed at promoting online child safety or regulating online content in some manner.  During the last Congress there were a handful of bills that took aim at these subjects; in the current Congress that count has skyrocketed to more than 30 pieces of legislation.

A new joint project by analysts from the Center of Democracy & Technology and the Progress & Freedom Foundation compiles these bills into a comprehensive list. This non-partisan document is aimed at making it easier for the public and media to track legislative developments pertaining to online child safety or free speech.

CDT's John Morris and PFF's Adam Thierer have created a compendium of more than 30 bills, with each measure indexed according to topic, the chamber in which it was introduced, and the agency or organization the measure affects.  The entry for each bill includes:  a concise summary of the legislative proposal; a link to the actual legislation; and links to relevant analysis by CDT or PFF.  The compendium will be placed on both the CDT and PFF websites and updates will be made to the list as needed.

During a press briefing, Morris and Thierer will be on hand to discuss various bills on the list, and answer questions relating to this crush of legislation.  Written analysis regarding the impact of these bills will be available at the press briefing.

Date: Feb. 6th, 2008
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: CDT Conference room, 1634 "Eye" St., NW, 11th floor

Contact:

Brock N. Meeks
Director of Communications
Center for Democracy and Technology
1634 Eye St., NW, Suite 1100
brock@cdt.org
Ph: 202-637-9800 ex. 114
Washington, DC  20006