Public Servant Anti-Intimidation Act of 2022

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8962 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8962

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the publication of 
personal information of public servants on the internet, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 22, 2022

 Mr. Gohmert (for himself and Mrs. Miller of Illinois) 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 publication of 
personal information of public servants on the internet, 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 ``Public Servant Anti-Intimidation Act 
of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DISCLOSING PERSONAL INFORMATION OF PUBLIC 
              SERVANTS ON THE INTERNET.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 93 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1925. Publication of personal information of public servants
    ``(a) Offense.--Except as provided in subsection (b), whoever, in 
or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly publishes on the 
Internet or otherwise makes publicly available, the personal 
information of a public servant or the immediate family member of a 
public servant, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more 
than one year, or both.
    ``(b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to 
personal information--
            ``(1) published on the Internet or otherwise made publicly 
        available before an individual became a public servant; or
            ``(2) published on the Internet or otherwise made publicly 
        available with the consent of the public servant or the 
        immediate family member of a public servant.
    ``(c) Civil Action.--A public servant or immediate family member of 
a public servant who is a victim of an offense under subsection (a) may 
bring a civil action in an appropriate United States district court for 
equitable relief, damages in an amount that is presumed to be not less 
than $10,000, and attorney's fees.
    ``(d) Rule of Construction.--Section 230 of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230) does not apply to a provider of any type of 
interactive computer service with respect to liability under this 
section.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `public servant' means--
                    ``(A) an officer or employee of the Executive, 
                Legislative, or Judicial branch of the Federal 
                Government;
                    ``(B) the President; and
                    ``(C) a Member of Congress (as such term is defined 
                in section 2106 of title 5).
            ``(2) The term `personal information' means a person's home 
        address, home phone number, personal cell phone number, Social 
        Security Number, or other personal identification number.
            ``(3) The term `interactive computer service' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 230(f) of the Communications 
        Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230(f)).
            ``(4) The term `immediate family member' means a spouse, 
        child, parent, or sibling.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 93 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``1925. Publication of personal information of public servants.''.
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