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House Vote Coming Soon On Shield Bill

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The Associated Press

Published: October 5, 2007

WASHINGTON - The House will vote by year's end on legislation that would shield reporters from being forced to reveal their sources in some cases in federal court, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

A similar bill is headed to the full Senate after winning approval from a committee.

'This is fundamental to our democracy and fundamental to the security of our country,' Pelosi, D-Calif., told The Associated Press Managing Editors. 'We will bring something to the floor this year, before the end of this session.'

More than 50 news outlets, including AP, support the bill.

Despite Pelosi's announcement and the 15-2 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the measure faces an uncertain future, especially in the Senate.

The White House and several Republican senators oppose the bill because, they say, such a policy would hobble law enforcement and efforts by intelligence officials to trace the source of leaks that could harm national security.

A single senator's objection can stall a bill in the Senate.

The bill includes exemptions for cases in which investigators are tracking acts of terrorism in the United States and other countries. An amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., would keep accused spies, agents of foreign countries and terrorists from claiming the same protections extended to journalists.

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