Senate Rules Committee keeps draconian bill trampling free speech alive
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Zack Pruitt regarding the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration’s markup hearing Tuesday on S-1, legislation that expands the definition of “political speech” and dramatically alters the First Amendment speech and association protections that American citizens have enjoyed since the founding of our country:
“The Senate Rules Committee has kept alive a bill that tramples on the free speech and free association rights of American citizens. S-1’s 800 pages of complex and convoluted text impose unworkable and invasive regulations on the ability of individual Americans and groups of citizens to discuss vital policy issues with elected officials or the public and to exercise constitutionally protected freedoms. The bill intrudes upon the private financial decisions made by everyday citizens, possibly subjecting them to harassment and intimidation simply for giving to causes they care about. Despite being called the ‘For the People Act,’ it is anything but that. The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that ‘the people lose when the government is the one deciding which ideas should prevail.’ We hope the full Senate will see through this façade and reject this misleading and deeply flawed bill.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Zack Pruitt
Zack Pruitt serves as senior counsel and director of U.S. government relations at Alliance Defending Freedom. In this role, he promotes ADF's policy and legislative work at the national level on behalf of the broader ADF public policy team. As a principal strategist, Pruitt oversees the federal and state government relations teams and provides legal counsel regarding ADF’s core issues to state officials, members and staff of the U.S. Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. Prior to joining ADF, Pruitt served as senior policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity and director of public policy for the Family Action Council of Tennessee. Pruitt earned his Juris Doctor with a certificate in International and Comparative Law from St. Louis University School of Law. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is member of the state bar in Tennessee and the District of Columbia and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court.