Dems Ripped for ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ That Could ‘Shield’ Fraud and Abuse in California

California Democrats are being ripped over a bill that one state assembly member has dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” which he argues would “criminalize” investigative journalism.

The controversial bill, officially titled “Privacy for immigration support services providers,” creates privacy protections for immigration support service providers, employees and volunteers, including hiding their addresses and imposing penalties on those who publish their image on social media. Democratic lawmakers say the legislation is needed to protect people from targeted political violence.

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The bill has already passed its earliest stages and currently sits in the California Assembly Judiciary Committee.

If the bill is signed into law, the California secretary of state will oversee a program that will conceal from public records the addresses of any person who has provided “designated immigration support services,” including services like health care, legal assistance and case management, if they have been subjected to threats, harassment or violence stemming from their work.

The California secretary of state will assign participants a substitute address, which will be used by local and state agencies, and will be tasked with forwarding mail to program participants’ real address.

The legislation also prohibits private citizens or businesses from posting the image, personal information or home address of any program participant online or on social media if the intent is to threaten the immigration support services worker or incite violence from a third party.

A participant covered under the program could file a complaint in court against a person or organization that posts their image and could be awarded up to $4,000.

Violators of the law could face additional criminal penalties, including a $10,000 fine or up to one year in jail.

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