Public Safety Free Speech Act

Key Points

• Schmitt introduced a bill to protect the free speech of police, firefighters, and EMS workers. It stops employers from firing or disciplining them for sharing personal opinions on their pay, working conditions, or political and religious beliefs.
• If a worker is punished for their speech, they could sue their employer. A judge could order the employer to pay for the worker's lost wages, emotional distress, and legal fees, or force the agency to stop the unfair treatment.
• These protections only apply to speech made while the worker is off-duty. The bill does not protect speech that encourages violence, promotes discrimination, or suggests that emergency services should be delayed or stopped as a form of protest.
• To protect the public, the bill does not allow workers to share private information they learned on the job, such as names or addresses of people they helped. It also ensures that workers cannot use their speech to support favoritism while doing their jobs.