Bills Introduced – 11-17-14

Both the House and Senate are back in town for week two of the lame duck session. Seventeen bills were introduced yesterday including one that may be of specific interest to readers of this blog:

S 2934 - A bill to prohibit trespassing on critical infrastructure used in or affecting interstate commerce to commit a criminal offense. Sponsor Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY].

This bill was publicized by Schumer during the election hiatus as a bill targeted at preventing the recent spate of publicity stunts involving bridges and other landmarks in New York City. We will have to wait to see what the bill actually says to be sure, but this sounds like an attempt to stifle free speech. Having said that, this could be used as a tool to federally prosecute recon actions that would be a precursor to a terrorist attack; details will make the difference.

NOTE: This bill has little chance of being considered in the lame duck session. It will be interesting to see if/when it is re-introduced in the 114^th Congress.