The Public Participation Project works to protect citizens from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) through the enactment of legislation in Congress and the states. SLAPPs are lawsuits brought against those who communicate with their government or speak out on issues of public interest.
At the federal level, PPP has focused on the Speak Free Act and the Consumer Review Fairness Act. At the state level, PPP has focused on State Anti-SLAPP Laws.
Speak Free Act
Since the introduction of the SPEAK FREE Act of 2015 in May, momentum has been building to enact federal anti-SLAPP legislation. The bill had more than 30 co-sponsors in the House and there was a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2016. You can view that hearing here. PPP is working with a coalition of supporters of the bill to get it reintroduced in the House and introduced in the Senate as soon as possible.
Consumer Review Fairness Act
The Consumer Review Fairness Act was a legislative victory for PPP in 2016. PPP began working on this bill back in 2014 with Rep. Eric Swalwell and continued to fight for this legislation until it was enacted in 2016. Read the text of the law here.
State Anti-SLAPP Laws
PPP works the a state level to build support for, strengthen, and protect anti-SLAPP laws.
PPP has two key tools for tracking state anti-SLAPP legislation: The State Anti-SLAPP Scorecard and State Anti-SLAPP Reference Chart.