Title: No Meddling in American Elections Act of 2021
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
No Meddling in American Elections Act of 2021
This bill establishes a new criminal offense involving the public disclosure of false information by a federal officer or employee.
Specifically, the bill prohibits the public disclosure of false information by a federal officer or employee (1) in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States, except with the approval of the President; or (2) for the purpose of influencing a federal election.
A violation is punishable by a statutory maximum prison term of 10 years.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2939 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2939

    To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the knowing 
 disclosure of false information to the public to the detriment of the 
United States or for the purpose of influencing an election for Federal 
                    office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2021

  Mr. Posey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the knowing 
 disclosure of false information to the public to the detriment of the 
United States or for the purpose of influencing an election for Federal 
                    office, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``No Meddling in American Elections 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF FALSE INFORMATION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 37 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 798A the following:
``Sec. 798B. Public disclosure of false information
    ``Whoever, being an officer or employee of the Federal Government, 
knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, publishes, 
disseminates, or otherwise makes available to the public any false 
information--
            ``(1) in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest 
        of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign 
        government (as such term is defined in section 798) to the 
        detriment of the United States, except with the approval of the 
        President; or
            ``(2) for the purpose of influencing an election for 
        Federal office (as such terms are defined in section 301 of the 
        Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101)),
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, 
or both.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 37 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
related to section 798A the following:

``798B. Public disclosure of false information''.
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