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Republicans Propose Bill To Impose Fines For Live-Streaming From House Floor (digitaltrends.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the time-to-get-to-work dept.

Likely in response to the 25-hour sit-in staged by Democrats earlier in 2016, protesting the lack of gun reform, House Speaker Paul Ryan has proposed new fines and ethics violations for House members that take photo and video from the floor of the chamber. Digital Trends reports: According to Bloomberg, the first violation will net violators a $500 fine, which will be deducted from member's paychecks. Second and subsequent violations will carry a steeper fine of $2,500 per incident. Not only that, any other incidents that may disrupt decorum could be sent to the House Committee on Ethics, potentially leading to sanctions. "These changes will help ensure that order and decorum are preserved in the House of Representatives so lawmakers can do the people's work," a spokeswoman for Ryan said in a statement. Taking photo or video had already been prohibited on the floor, but was never enforced. But after the sit-in, led by John Lewis (D-Ga.), Ryan called a recess, effectively ending the C-SPAN broadcast. That is when Democrats used their phones and took to social media. "The imposition of a fine could potentially violate both the First Amendment, as well as, the Speech and Debate clause, which creates extensive protections for speech by legislators," Chip Gibbons, who serves as the policy and legislative counsel for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Defending Dissent Foundation, told Digital Trends in an email. According to Gibbons, courts have already found that under certain circumstances, recording footage does fall under speech. "Given the public interest -- and inherently political nature of the act -- it seems likely that videos, photography, and live streaming from the House floor would also be found to be speech, and protected by the First Amendment," Gibbons said.

8 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. The real face of government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That'd be the legislature: as unaccountable, secretive and corrupt as ever.

    1. Re:The real face of government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So much for transparency....

      According to Trump we should just move on and ignore the fact that he only one as a result of Russian hacking of emails. (Yes, the previous statement is true. It did more than enough damage to be his margin of victory, as did Comey's interference. Either alone were enough given the margin.)

      Meanwhile his running mate is suing to keep his emails hidden. link Now the republicans are saying that they have a right to hide what goes on in the people's house.

      Every single person who votes for that should be impeached, removed from office, or otherwise at minimum not reelected. They should never be allowed to hold a public office again. I still can't believe how hard Trump is trying to cover for Putin's actions.

      What the hell does Putin have on Trump? Does he hold some of his mortgages? Have we really elected a puppet? It is not as if Trump has been afraid to confront anyone else. I understand that he wants to protect the idea that he won fair and square, even if it is an outright lie, but wouldn't it be simpler to just condemn them and move on? He causes the topic to be extended.

    2. Re:The real face of government by stevew · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Your statements about Russian hacking causing enough damage to alter the outcome are factually not supportable.

      Simple as that.

      Trump won because he ran a smarter race for the electoral college vote. He also appealed to middle America which HRC ignored or insulted.

      Now to the point of the original post, i.e. the House streaming being shut down - it is ALL political theatre just like the staging of the sit-down was. As for transparency - really? How is passing a 2000 page health care law behind closed doors that you have to vote for before you can read it transparent?

      I just hope that Trump manages the Congressional tendency to spend spend spend by both parties. We need to get our debt under control. That is going to be a good trick in itself with all the promised infrastructure work, etc. I'm more likely to believe that THAT promise won't be met.

      --
      Have you compiled your kernel today??
  2. Re: So... by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even assume that's not going to happen, it's a pretty disturbing proposal, especially considering it seems to be in response to this:

    But after the sit-in, led by John Lewis (D-Ga.), Ryan called a recess, effectively ending the C-SPAN broadcast. That is when Democrats used their phones and took to social media.

    So Democrats staged a public protest. Republicans shut down the broadcast. Democrats resorted to broadcasting online by streaming from their phones. Republicans respond by trying to make streaming illegal. That's pretty fucked up.

  3. Re:Darn by CrashPoint · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know, "making Congress into a stage for grandstanding" includes shutting down the government and refusing to pay the country's debts just to spite a President from the other party.

  4. double edged sword by supernova87a · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I am as moderate as they come, and I do not believe that this is a blatant overstep of authority. There are many reasons why Congress can choose to not allow recording of their proceedings. The federal judiciary does not allow it, just to provide comparison. Now, whether this is being invoked for political convenience or as a reasoned policy, is another matter.

    Sometimes, you should not wish for everything to be broadcast, recorded, and open for all to see. You may find that some things get done faster, and better, when they are not being aired for all to hear. I could argue that congressional matters, being broadcast for all to see, has resulted in congressmen playing to the cameras, holding hearings that are often public theater, taking extreme positions for publicity, voting nonsensically and against better judgement so that their constituents see them doing so. A lot more work could be done behind closed doors, where representatives don't feel the need to be so extreme for the cameras, and so shallow on real issues.

    Careful what you wish for.

  5. Why do they get to by gabrieltss · · Score: 3, Insightful

    have their cell phones on the floor! When we visited DC this summer we were not allowed to take our cell phones into the viewing gallery while the senate was in session. Just so happens they were voting on the Zika funding bill the FIRST time. Both parties were acting like little 2 year olds! They should all be thrown out and we should all be thrown out and we should re-vote for EVERY one of them!

    --
    The Truth is a Virus!!!
  6. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Trump promised you a lot of things that he won't deliver to you. But you'll still vote for him in 2020, because you're going to buy whatever excuses he serves up for not delivering them.