•HRES 999 IH 
nized since the colonial period of the United States and 
is enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution; 
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution proclaims: 
‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment 
of religion, or preventing the free exercise thereof; or 
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the 
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition 
the government for a redress of grievances.’’; 
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights, adopted at Paris, December 10, 
1948, states, ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opin-
ion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold 
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and im-
part information and ideas through any media and re-
gardless of frontiers.’’; 
Whereas the United States has made promotion of press free-
dom worldwide a core part of its human rights and de-
mocracy promotion efforts; 
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has accelerated the decline 
of local news, documented by PEN America in the report 
Losing the News, shuttering critical information re-
sources, 
particularly 
for 
rural 
populations 
and 
marginalized communities; 
Whereas journalists have a long established and recognized 
right to report, and actions by law enforcement or other 
authorities that prevent them from doing so through in-
timidation, violence, arrest, or detention is an affront to 
the First Amendment; 
Whereas the United States has experienced mass protests in 
cities and communities around the Nation following the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:19 Jun 12, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR999.IH
HR999
CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 999 IH 
killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 
25, 2020; 
Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to 
Protect Journalists, wrote that ‘‘Covering protests and 
demonstrations is vital, both in order to inform the public 
about the demands of the protesters and also to hold offi-
cials accountable’’; 
Whereas, as of June 4, 2020, the U.S. Press Freedom Track-
er, a nonpartisan website managed by the Freedom of the 
Press Foundation, has received reports of more than 300 
reports of press freedom violations committed against 
journalists covering the demonstrations nationwide; 
Whereas these cases include instances of journalists and 
media workers being specifically targeted by law enforce-
ment with tear gas, pepper spray or pepper balls, or rub-
ber bullets despite displaying press credentials and identi-
fying themselves as members of the press; 
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, police in Minneapolis shot a rub-
ber bullet at the face of a freelance writer and photog-
rapher, permanently blinding her in one eye; 
Whereas, on May 30, 2020, Minneapolis police fired tear gas, 
pepper spray, and concussion grenades directly at mul-
tiple journalists and photographers; 
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Seattle police fired projectiles di-
rectly at an MSNBC reporter and camera crew; 
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, a KPCC/LAist reporter was shot 
in the throat with a rubber bullet by Long Beach police; 
Whereas, on June 1, 2020, an Australian reporter and cam-
era operator were struck by Federal law enforcement as 
they covered a demonstration outside the White House in 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:19 Jun 12, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR999.IH
HR999
CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 999 IH 
Washington, DC, leading to a formal request by the Aus-
tralian Ambassador for a police investigation; 
Whereas the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has identified more 
than 49 instances of journalists and media workers being 
arrested at protests as of June 4, 2020; 
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, CNN reporter Omar Jiminez, an 
African-American and Latino journalist, was arrested in 
Minneapolis while reporting on camera, despite displaying 
his press credentials and offering to comply with police 
directives; 
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, two 
photojournalists were arrested while working and charged 
with the misdemeanor of ‘‘failure to disperse’’, before 
being released a day later; 
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, an NPR affiliate reporter, a 
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, and a Wilmington News- 
Journal reporter were arrested despite having identified 
themselves as press; 
Whereas some cities and States have imposed curfews in a 
bid to contain the demonstrations, some of which have 
turned violent, but not all of the curfew orders have ex-
plicitly exempted members of the press; 
Whereas journalists have a vital role to play in documenting 
and reporting on the protests and must be able to freely 
cover these events without fear of retaliation from au-
thorities; and 
Whereas freedom of the press— 
(1) is a key component of democratic governance, 
activism in civil society, and socioeconomic development; 
and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:19 Jun 12, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR999.IH
HR999
CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 999 IH 
(2) enhances public accountability, transparency, 
and participation in civil society and democratic govern-
ance: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses support for the First Amendment- 
protected right of journalists to report on events in 
the public interest, including protests and dem-
onstrations against police brutality; 
(2) believes journalists perform an essential role 
in safeguarding democratic values by keeping the 
public informed about issues of national and local 
concern and ensuring transparency and account-
ability; 
(3) calls on State, local, and Federal law en-
forcement to protect the freedom of the press and 
refrain from targeting journalists and media work-
ers; 
(4) calls on government entities to clarify that 
credentialed press are exempt from curfews enacted 
in response to protests and public demonstrations; 
(5) stresses the need for accountability where 
law enforcement entities or protesters violate the 
Constitution, laws, or regulations in their treatment 
of journalists and media crews during protests; and 
(6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the 
press in the United States and around the world to 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:19 Jun 12, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR999.IH
HR999
CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 999 IH 
support democracy, expose corruption, and promote 
good governance. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:19 Jun 12, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR999.IH
HR999
CTELLI on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS