This podcast contains comments recorded May 12, 2023 during a conversation with the president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Oscar Rodriguez, and Austin attorney Laura Prather.

The state's leading broadcast industry organization asks for public support to block legislation in Austin that they say will water down free speech protections.

The president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Oscar Rodriguez, characterizes senate bill 896 "as the most important free speech protection that Texans don't realize have and are about to lose."

Bryan Broadcasting, which includes WTAW, is a member of the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

SB 896 would change a component of the Texas Citizens Participation Act called SLAPP, which is an acronym for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.

Rodriguez told representatives of Texas radio and television stations that SB 896 is "a very important and scary bill."

Austin attorney Laura Prather says SB 896 will make it easier to file a lawsuit in retaliation for what somebody said or posted online.

Prather said the "average Texas citizens for tweeting or for doing a Yelp review, could be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars and fighting in courts for years to come."

Business and interest groups oppose senate bill 896, which spans the entire political spectrum. Prather said state lawmakers told her "How in the world did you get Americans For Prosperity, ACLU, Right To Life, and Public Citizen all in the same document?" Prather told them it's "Because they're all savvy enough to know that this law can harm them."

SB 896 received unanimous approval in the Senate and as of May 15 was pending before the House calendars committee after getting a favorable committee recommendation.

Click HERE to read and download Senate Bill 896 as of May 15, 2023.

Click HERE to read and download information presented by the Texas Association of Broadcasters about SB 896 and House Bill 2781.