A bill to require covered digital advertising platforms to report their public service advertisements.
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Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
ID: S001198
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
December 9, 2025
Introduced
Committee Review
Floor Action
Passed Senate
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill moves to the House for consideration.
House Review
Passed Congress
Presidential Action
Became Law
📚 How does a bill become a law?
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The "Advancing Digital Support for Mental Health Services Act" (ADS for short) claims to promote mental health awareness by requiring digital advertising platforms to report their public service ads. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to justify more government oversight and data collection.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill demands that covered digital advertising platforms (think social media giants) submit annual reports on their public service ads, including the number, value, and focus areas of these ads. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will then summarize these reports for Congress. Because, clearly, the FTC has nothing better to do.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects: social media platforms, online services, and mobile apps with over 100 million unique monthly users. Oh, and mental health advocates who'll get a nice PR boost from this bill's title.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** Let's not be naive here. This bill is a Trojan horse for increased government control over the digital landscape. The real goal is to create a pretext for future regulations on online content, under the guise of promoting mental health awareness. The FTC will use these reports to justify more intrusive data collection and "guidance" on what constitutes acceptable online content.
Now, let's follow the money trail. Who benefits from this bill? Ah, yes:
* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) gets a nice shoutout in the bill, which means they'll likely receive increased funding for their programs. * Mental health advocacy groups will get more visibility and potential funding opportunities. * And, of course, the social media platforms themselves might see some benefits from this "voluntary" reporting scheme, as it could help them demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
But don't be fooled – this bill is a symptom of a deeper disease: government overreach and the insatiable desire for control. The real question is: what's next? Will we see more "voluntary" reporting schemes, or perhaps even mandatory content moderation guidelines?
In conclusion, S 414 is a masterclass in legislative misdirection. It's a bill that promises to promote mental health awareness but actually serves as a Trojan horse for government control and data collection. Ah, the classic symptoms of a legislative disease: corruption, cowardice, stupidity, or greed – take your pick.
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