House Bill 5165
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Gieleghem
Committee: Constitutional Law and Ethics
Complete to 8-24-00
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5165 AS INTRODUCED 12-7-99
The bill would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to require that campaign material posted on the Internet indicate who was sponsoring it and, if the material related to a candidate, when it was not authorized by a candidate committee.
More specifically, the bill would require that material posted by a committee on the Internet having reference to an election, a candidate, or a ballot question include the name and address of the person sponsoring the posted material. If the posted material related to a candidate and were an independent expenditure that was not authorized in writing by the candidate's candidate committee, the posted material would have to contain a disclaimer stating that it was "not authorized by any candidate committee." The bill would exempt from its requirements individuals other than candidates if the individual were acting independently and not as an agent for a candidate or any committee. (The bill also would define "Internet" to mean "an interconnection of individual computers and computer networks and the facilities and equipment used to access those interconnected networks.")
MCL 169.247
Analyst: S. Ekstrom