HB 113

Abstract

Protected information; newspersons engaged in journalism. Provides that no newsperson engaged in journalism shall be compelled by the Commonwealth or a locality in any criminal proceeding to testify about, disclose, or produce protected information, as defined in the bill, except when the court finds that (i) the protected information is necessary to the proof of an issue material to an administrative or criminal proceeding; (ii) the protected information is not obtainable from any alternative source; (iii) the Commonwealth or locality exhausted all reasonable methods for obtaining the protected information from all relevant alternative sources, if applicable; and (iv) there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of the protected information, including preventing harm to or death of a person. The bill further provides that any information obtained in violation of the provisions of the bill shall be inadmissible for any purpose in an administrative or criminal proceeding.

Protected information; newspersons engaged in journalism. Provides that no newsperson engaged in journalism shall be compelled by the Commonwealth or a locality to testify about, disclose, or produce protected information, as defined in the bill, except when the court finds that (i) the protected information is necessary to the proof of an issue material to an administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding; (ii) the protected information is not obtainable from any alternative source; (iii) the Commonwealth or locality exhausted all reasonable methods for obtaining the protected information from all relevant alternative sources, if applicable; and (iv) there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of the protected information, including preventing harm to or death of a person. The bill further provides that any information obtained in violation of the provisions of the bill shall be inadmissible for any purpose in an administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding.

Protected information; newspersons engaged injournalism. Provides that no newsperson engaged in journalismshall be compelled to testify about, disclose, or produce protectedinformation, as defined in the bill, except when the court findsthat (i) the protected information is highly relevant and necessaryto the proof of an issue material to an administrative, civil, orcriminal proceeding; (ii) the protected information is not obtainablefrom any alternative source; (iii) the Commonwealth or locality exhaustedall reasonable methods for obtaining the protected information fromall relevant alternative sources, if applicable; and (iv) there isan overriding public interest in the disclosure of the protectedinformation, including preventing harm to or death of a person. Thebill further provides that any information obtained in violationof the provisions of the bill shall be inadmissible for any purposein an administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding.