Shield Law

The Texas Free Flow of Information Act, which would bring to the state a reporter's privilege, passed a final legislative hurdle Thursday and is now bound for Gov. Rick Perry's desk.

The Texas State Senate has unanimously passed a reporter's shield bill, which is now headed for what could be its final hurdles before becoming law.

The Senate voted 31-0 on Tuesday in favor of a measure protecting reporters from having to disclose confidential sources or reporting material in court.

With a unanimous 146 votes, the Texas House of Representatives today passed a reporter's shield bill that would giver journalists a qualified privilege from being compelled to disclose confidential sources and reporting material.

H.B. 670 passed just one day after the House voted 146 to 2 on a second reading of the bill. Both of the dissenters voted yes on Thursday, according to the unofficial vote record.

In a 146 to 2 vote, the Texas House of Representatives has approved on second reading a state shield bill that would protect reporters from being compelled to disclose confidential sources and material, The Dallas Morning News reports. The third and final reading of the bill and a final vote will occur tomorrow.

A federal shield bill that would give reporters a qualified privilege from revealing confidential sources was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night.

H.R. 985, known as the Free Flow of Information Act of 2009, was passed by a voice vote under a suspension of the rules, a typical procedure used to pass non-controversial bills. The bill is identical to the bill that was passed in 2007 by a vote of 398 to 21.

A reporter's shield bill passed through a Texas state Senate committee Wednesday and is now due for a full Senate vote, edging ever closer to final passage.

A state shield law passed a committee in the Texas Legislature on Monday, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported.

Texas lawmakers on Monday debated a proposed state shield law, the Associated Press reported.

The Free Flow of Information Act, which would provide a qualified privilege for confidential sources, was discussed at the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee. This is the third session in which a shield law has been debated in Texas.

A state shield law for journalists in Kansas was voted down in committee on Wednesday and sent to a council for further review, The Associated Press reports.

Lawmakers in a few different states are working on media-related issues this week. A quick roundup:

In Kansas, a reporter's privilege bill was revived after several Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee members expressed an interest in voting on it. According to The Associated Press, the chairman, Sen. Tim Owens, initially scrapped the proposed law because it didn't seem to have enough support to make it out of the committee.