California Assembly Bill 2624, dubbed by critics the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” passed the California Assembly on Tuesday, raising concerns among opponents that undercover journalism and fraud investigations could be restricted—including investigations conducted by independent journalist Nick Shirley.
Shirley, who uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars of daycare fraud in Minnesota and hospice fraud in California, took to X to share his thoughts on the vote.
According to the bill’s text, AB 2624 would “prohibit a person from posting on the internet the personal information or image of a designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer, or other individuals residing at the same home address.”
This would be done through California’s existing Safe at Home program, which provides substitute mailing addresses for individuals concerned about their safety.
The program currently includes protections for “victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, child abduction, and elder or dependent adult abuse, as well as reproductive health care workers and public entity employees who are in fear for their safety.”
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Supporters of the bill argue it is intended to protect immigration service providers by adding them to the list of protected individuals.
However, Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, a vocal opponent of the bill, argues the legislation has consequences for journalists trying to uncover fraud in California.
“If you show up and take video of those providers under this bill, all they would have to do is hand a business card over to the investigative journalist, and if they posted that evidence that they caught on video on the internet, they would be violating this law,” he said.
DeMaio continued, “The lawyers in this room know that, absolutely under this language, it would be prohibited from being posted to the internet. This is outrageous. … When you vote for this, that is what you are voting to do.”
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, authored the bill, drawing outrage among conservatives that blocking the information is a conflict of interests.
Bonta has responded on social media, calling such concerns “MAGA misinformation.”
“If MAGA can’t tell the difference between journalism and doxxing, that’s on them, because under my bill, there are no provisions related to journalism or fraud. This bill does not infringe on the First Amendment,” she wrote.
The bill, which passed the Assembly by a 57-19 vote, now heads to the California Senate, where lawmakers will decide whether to advance it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
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