 |
| Cory Gardner |
Following China’s move to pressure the NBA into muzzling its players and coaches about protests in Hong Kong, Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced legislation on Oct. 30 designed to monitor instances of the Chinese government to intimidate US companies that exercise their rights to free speech.
The bill would create a federal task force known as the China Censorship Monitor and Action Group, staffed with representatives from the Depts. of State and Commerce, Federal Communications Commission and US Agency for Global Media.
The CCMAG would meet with federal officials, corporate executives and members of the media to gather information about “punitive actions taken by the People’s Republic of China towards US companies that involve economic or diplomatic retaliation for the exercise of free speech by US companies.”
That intelligence would be maintained on a public database hosted on a government server.
The bill calls for the task force is issue an annual report of its findings and schedule briefings for relevant Senate and House committees dealing with foreign affairs and commerce.
"Our government needs to stand up for Americans and stand up for free speech,” said Merkley. “That starts by making sure we know when and how the Chinese government is censoring or punishing Americans for expressing themselves.”
Erik Hotmire has rejoined the Securities and Exchange Commission as chief external affairs officer and director of the Office of Public Affairs.
California seeks a firm to handle a $3.5M marketing/ad program to promote awareness of, and increase sign-ups in, its job corps program. 
The National Highway Safety Administration has awarded its public education to Stratacomm following a competitive re-compete process.
Congress wants the FTC to probe whether TikTok violated child privacy laws when it launched a last-ditch lobbying blitz to defeat the bill requiring its owner, ByteDance, to divest it.
Jeffrey Nesbit, who served as communications director for former vice president Dan Quayle, is named assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
