What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Comptroller General of the United States (the head of an agency that audits government spending) to report to Congress on all payments the Department of Justice made to five major technology companies between January 1, 2015 and the date this law passes. The bill also places a temporary freeze on the Department of Justice making new payments to these companies.
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Who It Affects
- The Department of Justice (the federal agency responsible for enforcing laws)
- Twitter, Meta, Google, Microsoft Corporation and Apple
- Six Congressional committees that would receive the report
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Key Provisions
- The Comptroller General must submit a report on all Department of Justice payments to Twitter, Meta, Google, Microsoft Corporation and Apple made from January 1, 2015 through the date this law takes effect, no later than 1 year after the law passes (Sec. 2(a))
- The Department of Justice cannot use federal funds to pay these five companies for 1 year after this law takes effect, except for payments that are legally owed to them (Sec. 2(b))
- The report goes to six specific Congressional committees: the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (Sec. 2(c))
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What Changes
If this becomes law, the Department of Justice must stop making discretionary payments to these five technology companies for one year while Congress receives a detailed accounting of all past payments to them.
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Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
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I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 870
To submit to Congress a report on payments made by the Department
of Justice to certain companies, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
Mrs. BOEBERT (for herself, Mrs. LUNA, Mr. NEHLS, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. GOSAR,
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois, Mr. BURLISON, Mr. DONALDS, and Mr. CLYDE)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
A BILL
To submit to Congress a report on payments made by the
Department of Justice to certain companies, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Exposing Lewd Out-
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lays for social Networking companies Act’’ or the ‘‘ELON
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Act’’.
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•HR 870 IH
SEC. 2. REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PAYMENTS
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TO CERTAIN COMPANIES.
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(a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date
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of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
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United States shall submit to the relevant committees a
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report on all payments, made by the Department of Jus-
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tice during the period beginning on January 1, 2015 and
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ending on the date of enactment of this Act, to any of
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the following companies:
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(1) Twitter.
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(2) Meta.
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(3) Google.
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(4) Microsoft Corporation.
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(5) Apple.
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(b) MORATORIUM.—Beginning on the date of enact-
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ment of this Act and ending on the date that is 1 year
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after the date of enactment of this Act, it shall be unlawful
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for the Department of Justice to use Federal funds to
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make payments to the companies described in subsection
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(a), unless such funds are lawfully owed to any such com-
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pany.
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(c) RELEVANT COMMITTEES DEFINED.—In this sec-
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tion, the term ‘‘relevant committees’’ means—
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(1) the Committee on the Judiciary of the
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House of Representatives;
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•HR 870 IH
(2) the Committee on Oversight and Account-
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ability of the House of Representatives;
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(3) the Permanent Select Committee on Intel-
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ligence of the House of Representatives;
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(4) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Sen-
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ate;
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(5) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
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Transportation of the Senate; and
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(6) the Permanent Select Committee on Intel-
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ligence of the Senate.
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Æ
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