California Assembly Passes AB 2624 as Critics Say It Shields Taxpayer-Funded Groups
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 30
California Assembly Passes AB 2624 as Critics Say It Shields Taxpayer-Funded Groups
4 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 30
AB 2624 cleared the California Assembly on Wednesday and now heads to the state Senate, creating privacy and address-confidentiality protections for immigration service providers facing documented threats or harassment.
Nick Shirley, the independent journalist who dubbed it the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," said the measure could chill fraud investigations by exposing reporters and investigators to injunctions, attorney fees and statutory damages.
Mia Bonta, the Democratic assemblymember who authored the bill, has said immigrant service providers have faced harassment, doxxing campaigns and threats; Fox News Digital said she did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dispute widened online after Shirley linked the bill to alleged nonprofit and hospice fraud, drawing support from Rep. Tim Burchett, Dean Cain and Lily Tang Williams and sharpening a broader fight over oversight of publicly funded groups.
Will a new California privacy law become a shield for organizations committing multi-million dollar taxpayer fraud?
Does California's new 'anti-harassment' bill create a legal backdoor to silence investigative journalists?