RTNDA Chairman Stacey Woelfel said today he is disappointed with the outcome of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on the Free Flow of Information Act and hopes the senators will take up the bill again with the purpose of passing legislation that protects journalists and informs citizens.

The bipartisan bill bogged down in committee discussion after Republican members offered long opening statements that prevented the introduction of amendments planned for the session.

Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said after the hearing that he would like to see the committee bring the bill to a vote.  Speaking on behalf of RTNDA, Woelfel joined Leahy’s call for the senators to allow a vote. 

“The federal shield law proposal is too important to die in committee.  It deserves a vote to give it that chance to come before the whole Senate,” Woelfel said. “The work that journalists and lawmakers have done together to bring the shield law to this point has been tremendous.  We know the American people support the concept of a shield law—most states have one.  This is the year for federal action.” 

RTNDA will continue to work to inform lawmakers of the value and importance of this bill.  Woelfel asks every member of RTNDA to take a few moments to contact his or her senator to gather support. 

“The efforts journalists make now to improve their ability to tell the most important stories we can tell will pay off for citizens every day,” Woelfel said.