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Oh, the irony.

Six weeks before Hawaii’s media shield law expires, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York says he plans to revive federal legislation that would protect journalists from being forced to disclose confidential sources and information.

Schumer, a Democrat, said Wednesday he intends to re-introduce a bill that drew bipartisan support in 2009 but died amid the scandal over the online publishing of a trove of secret government documents.

President Obama’s Senate liaison to ask him to reintroduce the , but Schumer said he was already planning to introduce the bill.

The White House is trying to deflect criticism after it was revealed this week that the as part of an investigation into a national security leak earlier this year.

Meantime, Hawaii’s 5-year-old shield law, which has been considered a model for federal legislation, sunsets June 30 because state lawmakers were unable to agree on how to proceed this past session. The House voted at the 11th hour to just extend the current law two years, but the Senate thought the protections went too far.

University of Hawaii journalism professor Gerald Kato said he is still recovering from the fact that Hawaii is going to lose a very good shield law next month for irrational political reasons.

“It’s time for a federal shield law,” he said. “I just hope they consider a good and effective law rather than a diluted one.”

State, Federal Lawmakers Share Water-It-Down-To-Death Tactics

Dilution played a role in the death of the federal legislation in 2009 and the Hawaii shield law this year.

State Senate Judiciary Chair Clayton Hee orchestrated the changes to , which originally just called for repealing the sunset date. The final Senate draft removed protections for non-traditional journalists and expanded the exemptions for law enforcement to subpoena reporters and their notes.

Hee has said he relied on the state Attorney General’s advice on how to modify the bill, but his personal distaste for the shield law was evident. On the last day of the legislative session May 2, Hee stood up and mocked Sen. Les Ihara for saying “democracy is at stake” if Hawaii loses its strong protections for journalists.

In D.C., it was the Obama administration that put forward amendments to by carving out a meaty exemption to sidestep judicial review for security reasons.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill in a compromise version that included many of the administration’s proposed changes. It failed to garner enough support to receive a vote before the full Senate.

A spokesman for Schumer that it’s this compromise version of the bill that the senator plans to reintroduce, making it unclear at best if the law would have had any effect on the AP phone records case.

The Justice Department used a secret subpoena to obtain two months of phone records from more than 20 phone lines assigned to AP editors and reporters. Media outlets are normally given an advance opportunity to fight a subpoena, but the Justice Department asserted that national security was at stake and did not let AP know about it.

Attorney General Eric Holder told media outlets Tuesday that he doesn’t know any particulars, but is certain his department handled the matter appropriately.

Schumer said in a statement Wednesday that the proposed federal shield law, at a minimum, would have ensured a “fairer, more deliberate process.”

“This kind of law would balance national security needs against the public’s right to the free flow of information,” he said.

Hirono: Good Time To Look Into Press Protections

Hawaii’s congressional delegation didn’t have much to say Wednesday on reviving the federal shield law bill.

Messages left for Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard were not returned. A spokesman for Rep. Colleen Hanabusa wouldn’t comment.

Sen. Mazie Hirono’s spokesman emailed a statement: “As we continue to learn more about the matters surrounding the Department of Justice’s investigation into a leak of confidential information, now may be a good time to look into the types of protections available to the press.”

Hirono of the Free Flow of Information Act when she was a member of the House in 2007. Then-Rep. Neil Abercrombie voted against it at the time. The bill went on to pass the full House, but died in the Senate without a vote.

Abercrombie, now Hawaii’s governor, was the only Democratic representative to vote against the federal shield law. Some critics are convinced state AG David Louie’s strong opposition to the Hawaii shield law stems from the governor’s office.

State Sen. Sam Slom, a Republican who supports making Hawaii’s current shield law permanent, welcomed the news that Schumer will introduce federal legislation.

“As we’ve always said, this is not a partisan issue anyway,” he said. “It’s just too bad that our state didn’t get the message because now with the Associated Press incident, more than ever we need a shield law.”

It’s important to maintain the renewed momentum for a federal shield law and watch to ensure the bill isn’t changed like the legislation was in Hawaii, Kato said.

“We in the journalism community and the public as a whole should keep an eye on this so it’s not just some PR thing to deal with the problem of the moment,” he said. “Having a law in and of itself is not necessarily a good thing. The law is intended to advance First Amendment rights and the free flow of information.”