Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > New Bill Would Protect Those Reporting and Responding To Terrorism Fears New Bill Would Protect Those Reporting and Responding To Terrorism FearsMarch 9, 2011 March 9 2011- Militant Islam Monitor- A new bill aimed at granting civil immunity to people who are reporting and responding to terrorism fears is being sponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine),Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas). The legislation was sparked by the case of the "Flying Imams" in which 6 Imams on an airline flight whose suspicious behaviour was reported by passengers attempted to sue those who voiced their fears about them to airline staff. According to Senator Collins in a speech on the Senate floor: [S]uch passengers shouldn't have to worry about getting sued for making a report they believe to be true. "For voicing their reasonable fears that these passengers could be rehearsing or preparing to execute a hijacking, these concerned citizens found themselves as defendants in a civil rights lawsuit and accused of bigotry"… "The existence of this lawsuit," Collins added, "illustrates how unfair it is to allow private citizens to be intimidated into silence by the threat of litigation. Would the passengers have spoken up if they had anticipated that there would be a lawsuit filed against them? Even if such suits fail, they can expose citizens to heavy costs in time and legal fees." http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2011/03/bill-pushes-immunity-for-reporting-suspected-terrorism.html Read the bill here: legislation http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/collins-bill.pdf (PDF) |