PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Aug 6, 2020
COVID-19 Misinformation and Disinformation Task Force Act of 2020
This bill establishes an interagency COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) misinformation and disinformation task force.
The task force shall include a representative from not less than one agency that regularly engages with racial or ethnic minority communities, rural communities, and other underserved populations.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The functions of the task force shall be
coordinating the analysis of COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation by agencies across the federal government,
developing integrated analyses of COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation in a manner that protects individual privacy and civil liberties,
coordinating the dissemination to federal agencies and the White House Coronavirus Task Force of analyses developed by individual agencies and integrated analyses, and
developing and disseminating information literacy and information resilience public awareness campaigns relating to pandemics.
The task force shall (1) ensure that the activities of the task force advance a compelling government interest related to COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation, (2) ensure that the activities of the task force are narrowly tailored to advance that interest while minimizing impacts on speech and expression that is not COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation, and (3) create procedures and internal policies that document the implications.
The bill provides for (1) privacy and civil liberties oversight by the Department of Homeland Security, congressional briefings, and a public report; and (2) coordinated messaging.
People & committees
Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] · D–MI
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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