I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9207 
To prohibit Federal employees and contractors from directing online platforms 
to censor any speech that is protected by the First Amendment to 
the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2024 
Ms. HAGEMAN (for herself and Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Ac-
countability 
A BILL 
To prohibit Federal employees and contractors from directing 
online platforms to censor any speech that is protected 
by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Standing to Challenge 
Government Censorship Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EMPLOYEE PROHIBITIONS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) COVERED INFORMATION.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered information’’ means information relating to— 
(A) a phone call; 
(B) any type of digital communication, in-
cluding a post on a covered platform, an e-mail, 
a text, and a direct message; 
(C) a photo; 
(D) shopping and commerce history; 
(E) location data, including a driving route 
and ride hailing information; 
(F) an IP address; 
(G) metadata; 
(H) search history; 
(I) the name, age, or demographic infor-
mation of a user of a covered platform; and 
(J) a calendar item. 
(2) COVERED PLATFORM.—The term ‘‘covered 
platform’’ means— 
(A) an interactive computer service, as 
that term is defined in section 230(f) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
230(f)); and 
(B) any platform through which a media 
organization disseminates information, without 
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regard to whether the organization disseminates 
that information— 
(i) through broadcast or print; 
(ii) online; or 
(iii) through any other channel. 
(3) EMPLOYEE.— 
(A) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
term 
‘‘em-
ployee’’— 
(i) means an employee of an Execu-
tive agency; and 
(ii) includes— 
(I) an individual, other than an 
employee of an Executive agency, 
working under a contract with an Ex-
ecutive agency; and 
(II) the President and the Vice 
President. 
(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—With re-
spect to an individual described in subpara-
graph (A)(ii)(I), solely for the purposes of this 
Act, the Executive agency that has entered into 
the contract under which the employee is work-
ing shall be construed to be the Executive agen-
cy employing the employee. 
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(4) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Executive 
agency’’— 
(A) has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 105 of title 5, United States Code; and 
(B) includes the Executive Office of the 
President. 
(5) PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘provider’’ means a 
provider of a covered platform. 
(b) PROHIBITIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An employee acting under 
official authority or influence may not— 
(A) use any form of communication (with-
out regard to whether the communication is 
visible to members of the public) to direct, co-
erce, compel, or encourage a provider to take, 
suggest or imply that a provider should take, or 
request that a provider take any action to cen-
sor speech that is protected by the Constitution 
of the United States, including by— 
(i) removing that speech from the ap-
plicable covered platform; 
(ii) suppressing that speech on the ap-
plicable covered platform; 
(iii) removing or suspending a par-
ticular user (or a class of users) from the 
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applicable covered platform or otherwise 
limiting the access of a particular user (or 
a class of users) to the covered platform; 
(iv) 
labeling 
that 
speech 
as 
disinformation, misinformation, or false, or 
by making any similar characterization 
with respect to the speech; or 
(v) otherwise blocking, banning, delet-
ing, 
deprioritizing, 
demonetizing, 
deboosting, limiting the reach of, or re-
stricting access to the speech; 
(B) direct or encourage a provider to share 
with an Executive agency covered information 
containing data or information regarding a par-
ticular topic, or a user or group of users on the 
applicable covered platform, including any cov-
ered information shared or stored by users on 
the covered platform; 
(C) work, directly or indirectly, with any 
private or public entity or person to take an ac-
tion that is prohibited under subparagraph (A) 
or (B); or 
(D) on behalf of the Executive agency em-
ploying the employee— 
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(i) enter into a partnership with a 
provider to monitor any content dissemi-
nated on the applicable covered platform; 
or 
(ii) solicit, accept, or enter into a con-
tract or other agreement (including a no- 
cost agreement) for free advertising or an-
other promotion on a covered platform. 
(2) 
EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding 
subpara-
graph (B) of paragraph (1), the prohibition under 
that subparagraph shall not apply with respect to an 
action by an Executive agency or employee pursuant 
to a warrant that is issued by any court of com-
petent jurisdiction, including a court of the United 
States of competent jurisdiction in accordance with 
the procedures described in rule 41 of the Federal 
Rules of Criminal Procedure. 
(c) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A person, the account, con-
tent, speech, or other information of which has been 
affected in violation of this section, may bring a civil 
action in an appropriate district court of the United 
States (and a State government, the government of 
the District of Columbia, or the government of a ter-
ritory of the United States may bring a civil action 
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