H.R. 5684: Password Protection Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2012-05-09 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-05-09 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM-1] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Password Protection Act of 2012

Plain summary

Password Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject to a fine any employer who knowingly and intentionally: (1) compels or coerces any person to provide the employer with a password or similar information to access a protected computer not owned by such employer; or (2) discharges, disciplines, discriminates, or threatens to take such actions, against any person who fails to authorize access to such computer, has filed a complaint or instituted a proceeding regarding such action, or testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction to grant equitable relief in a civil action, if the court believes that the information sought to be obtained is relevant to protecting the intellectual property, a trade secret, or confidential business information of the party seeking relief. Exempts an employer's actions from such prohibition if: (1) the employer discharges or disciplines an individual for good cause; (2) a state enacts a law that specifically waives such prohibition with respect to a particular class of state or agency employees and the employer's action relates to an employee in such class; or (3) an executive agency, military department, or other executive branch entity specifically waives the prohibition with respect to a particular class of employees who may have access to classified information.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Password Protection Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM-1] · 57 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James A. Himes (D-CT), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), William R. Keating (D-MA), André Carson (D-IN), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM-1] reported raising $1.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr5684.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr5684 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112