I've seen a fair amount of material regarding HR 347 and how it was signed by the current President without fanfare or news coverage and how HR 347 abridges free speech.
I'm not philosophically aligned with the incumbent very much and I won't vote for him. However...
The quick and dirty first check provides some context to this bill. For those inclined to believe that snopes is some overarching leftist conspiracy (not me), most of the language in the applicable section of Title 18 of the United States Code that was amended by HR 347 has been in existence since 1971. If you want to do the research, it was Public Law 91-644, a.k.a the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970. If you'd just like to read the applicable sections, the beginning of 18 USC § 1752 is here and the rest is here.
So, much of the basic language for 18 USC § 1752 was actually signed into law by Richard Nixon. Since 1971, 18 USC § 1752 has been modified several times. You can view the modifications and their dates and applicable public laws (signed into law by Reagan, Clinton, Bush II, and now Obama) here.
All this is basically to say that this is NOT the issue that will keep me from voting for the incumbent...
