In case you haven’t noticed lately, I really like when congressional offices provide video for blogs. Our state’s representatives and senators often get lost in the shuffle in Washington, and the video is a way to not only be assured that they’re paying attention to issues about which New Mexicans care, but to also see exactly what they said.
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has begun providing such video. Today, Democratic leadership in the House and Senate decided to include a provision in the Homeland Security Bill he sponsored that would give civil immunity to citizens who report suspected terrorism.
The move follows outcry the resulted from the Democrats stripping the provision last week.
“I am pleased to see that the pressure we created led Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid to make the right decision about protecting alert Americans,” Pearce said in a news release. “The American people shouldn’t have to think twice about alerting security and law enforcement to potential terrorist attacks.”
The provision, sponsored by Pearce and Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., came in response to an incident in November when six Muslim imams were removed from an airline flight after passengers and crew members reported suspicious activity. They chanted “Allah,” criticized the
The imams sued, saying they were discriminated against and, in doing so, identified the passengers and airline employees who reported suspicious activity so they could be named as defendants. Pearce’s provision would protect such reporters from identification and lawsuits so they’re not afraid to report suspicious activity.
Here’s the video of Pearce originally offering the provision in March. It’s just over three minutes long.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated Pearce offered the provision in April.