Shield Reporters From Prosecutors? Does the First Amendment trump law enforcement? A number of high-profile cases in recent years have raised the question of whether prosecutors should be able to force reporters to reveal their confidential sources. Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for contempt of court when she refused to speak about her off-the-record chat with a Bush administration official. In response, some Members of Congress have restarted an effort to extend new legal protections to journalists. Visit Congress.org to read more about a proposed media shield law. Talk Back to Congress Many states have some version of a shield law to protect reporters from subpoenas demanding disclosure of sources, notes or other materials. The purpose of these laws is to encourage whistle-blowers, particularly in government, to go public with problems they see without fear that their identities will be revealed if they talk to a news reporter. Republicans and Democrats alike have been pushing for a federal shield law for years, but Bush administration and Senate Republican opposition combined to stall the measure. The House passed a bill in March. The Senate Judiciary Committee is working on its version this week. Tell your lawmakers what you think about the proposed media shield law. Click here to write a letter in support: Support the federal media shield law Click here to write a letter in opposition: Oppose the federal media shield law Why You Should Avoid ALL CAPS Writing in all capital letters is like shouting in print. That's the lesson from Antoinette LaFarge, a professor of digital media at the University of California at Irvine. According to a recent online survey, 40 percent of Congress.org users say they "sometimes" or "often" use all capital letters when writing Congress. But in an interview with Congress.org, LaFarge says it can make your writing less effective. After teaching typography and graphic design for the past 10 years, she has formed a few theories about why people write in all caps and how readers react to it. Click here to read the interview. Bills of the Week H.R. 3676 would make the E-Verify program to certify employees' immigration status permanent. Click here to tell your Members of Congress what you think of this bill. S. 1725 would repeal retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies for a terrorist surveillance program. Click here to tell your Members of Congress what you think of this bill. How They Voted Legislative Branch Appropriations The Senate approved a $4.66 billion bill that funds the legislative branch for the next year. Vote: 62-38 in the Senate. The bill now heads to the president. Energy Department Appropriations The House approved a $33.5 billion bill funding the Department of Energy and other agencies. Vote: 308-114 in the House. The bill now heads to the Senate. Want to track votes cast by your Members? Sign up for our MegaVote newsletter. Correction Because of a typo, last week's newsletter incorrectly stated the eligibility for the first-time homebuyers' tax credit. It is open to anyone who has not owned a principal residence in the last three years.	A New Look Visit the redesigned Congress.org! We have more news throughout the week. Our reliable tools for advocacy remain unchanged and we'll be adding more in the weeks ahead. Get on Your Soapbox Want to make your voice heard concerning issues important to you? Get on your soapbox and make it happen! Our Soapbox feature allows you to give exposure to your issue and lets other Congress.org users take action on the alerts you create. Registered users are now allowed four free soapbox alerts per month! Track Your Lawmakers Want to track votes cast by your Members of Congress? Sign up for our regular MegaVote newsletter. Signed, Sealed, Hand-Delivered! Did you know that you can have your message hand-delivered to the door of your Members of Congress? For a small fee, we can give your letter "Extra Impact" to help make your voice heard. Select that option when filling out your message on any topic. Add Us Don't forget to add congressorg@capwiz.com to your address book to ensure prompt delivery of this newsletter each week. Unsubscribe Don't want to get this newsletter anymore? To unsubscribe or change your email address, click here.
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