California Democrats have advanced a controversial measure that critics say is designed to shield left-wing nonprofits from scrutiny and punish the citizen journalists who expose them.
According to Gateway Pundit, lawmakers approved AB 2624, a bill authored by Democrat Assemblywoman Mia Bonta and swiftly branded by Republicans as the Stop Nick Shirley Act after investigative journalist Nick Shirley uncovered extensive hospice and daycare fraud earlier this year. The legislation restricts the release of investigative videos targeting immigration support service providers and imposes a minimum $4,000 penalty on journalists and private citizens who publish such footage.
Bonta, who is married to Californias radical far-left Attorney General Rob Bonta, pushed the measure through a Democrat-controlled legislature that has repeatedly sided with activist NGOs over taxpayers and whistleblowers. The bill cleared the California Senate on Tuesday and returned to the Assembly for final passage on Wednesday, with Governor Gavin Newsom widely expected to sign it into law.
California Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio condemned the measure as a direct assault on transparency and citizen oversight of government-funded entities. California Democrats are trying to intimidate citizen watchdog journalists and protect waste and fraud happening in far-Left-wing NGOs. AB 2624 can only be described as the Stop Nick Shirley Act a bill designed to silence citizen journalists exposing fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, Carl DeMaio said.
Instead of fixing the fraud problems being uncovered, Sacramento politicians are trying to shut down the people exposing them, he said. AB 2624 would allow activists and taxpayer-funded organizations to demand the removal of video evidence even if it captures misconduct in plain view and threatens journalists with massive financial penalties, DeMaio added.
Nick Shirley confronted Bonta on Wednesday, warning that the bill effectively grants immigration-related nonprofits veto power over evidence of wrongdoing. This bill will protect NGOs, nonprofits, legal offices, healthcare facilities and learing centers who provide services to immigrants. If an immigration service provider gives you a piece of paper saying you cannot publish your video, you may be fined $4,000 and have to pay for their legal fees, Nick Shirley said.
Login