CAMPAIGN WEB SITES
House Bill 4316
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Gieleghem
Committee: Redistricting and Elections
Complete to 4-17-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4316 AS INTRODUCED 2-21-01
Generally speaking, the Campaign Finance Act requires that the name and address of the person paying for or sponsoring an advertisement be included on printed materials and in radio and television ads that refer to an election, candidate, or ballot question. House Bill 4316 would apply similar requirements to material posted by a committee on the Internet.
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 relating to a candidate was an independent expenditure not authorized in writing by the candidate committee of the candidate, the posted material would have to include the following disclaimer: "Not authorized by any candidate committee." An individual other than a candidate would not be subject to these provisions if he or she were acting independently and not acting as an agent for a candidate or a committee. The section being amended says that the size and placement of an identification or disclaimer is to be determined by rules promulgated by the secretary of state.
As is currently the case for printed material and radio and television ads, a violation would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 93 days, or both.
The term "Internet" would be defined in the bill to refer to an interconnection of individual computers and computer networks and the facilities used to access those interconnected networks.
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.