A group of Senate Republicans introduced legislation that would protect government workers’ private information from being spread online.
The bill, titled the Public Servant Protection Act, was introduced on Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sens. Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Tom Cotton, Kelly Loeffler, David Perdue, and Rick Scott.
Should the bill become a law, all government employees, both appointed and elected, will have the right to have their home addresses and phone numbers removed from publicly displayed websites. The bill criminalizes the posting of such information and extends that protection to employees’ immediate families.
“No public servant should be endangered or subject to harassment for doing their job,” Cotton, a senator from Arkansas, said in a statement. “But as activist mobs increasingly target elected officials and police officers, additional protection is warranted. Our bill will help shield government workers and officials by increasing penalties on malicious actors and protecting workers’ personal information.”
“I’m proud to sponsor the Public Servant Protection Act to protect hardworking public servants and their family members. These individuals dedicate their lives to serving the American people, and it’s disgusting that they would have to live in fear of targeted harassment, harm, or violence in their own homes just for doing their jobs,” added Scott, a senator from Florida.
The legislators specifically referenced U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose husband and son were shot and killed at their home. The alleged shooter, Roy Den Hollander, was found dead by an apparent self-inflicted wound shortly after the shooting. He was known as a self-described “anti-feminist” lawyer and previously crossed paths with Salas when she presided over a 2015 legal fight involving a woman who wanted to register for the men-only military draft.
They also mentioned the “anti-police rhetoric” and “law enforcement officer deaths” which they say have increased this year.
