102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3735

 

Introduced 2/22/2021, by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/9-9.5
10 ILCS 5/9-10.5 new

    Amends the Election Code. Requires a political committee to include in specified communications a list of the top committee contributors of $50,000 or more, beginning with the largest contributor, and a statement that the communication was not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate, if applicable. Provides how the contribution information and statement must be displayed or disclosed in political advertisements depending on the medium.


LRB102 14496 SMS 19849 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3735LRB102 14496 SMS 19849 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Section 9-9.5 and by adding Section 9-10.5 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/9-9.5)
7    Sec. 9-9.5. Disclosures in political communications.
8    (a) Any political committee, organized under the Election
9Code, that makes an expenditure for a pamphlet, circular,
10handbill, Internet or telephone communication, radio,
11television, or print advertisement, or other communication
12directed at voters and mentioning the name of a candidate in
13the next upcoming election shall ensure that the name of the
14political committee paying for any part of the communication,
15including, but not limited to, its preparation and
16distribution, is identified clearly within the communication
17as the payor. The communication shall also include: (1) a list
18of the top committee contributors of $50,000 or more,
19beginning with the largest contributor; and (2) a statement
20that the communication was not authorized by a candidate or a
21committee controlled by a candidate, if applicable. This
22subsection does not apply to items that are too small to
23contain the required disclosure. This subsection does not

 

 

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1apply to an expenditure for the preparation, distribution, or
2publication of any communication directed at constituents of a
3member of the General Assembly if the expenditure is made by a
4political committee in accordance with subsection (c) of
5Section 9-8.10. Nothing in this subsection shall require
6disclosure on any telephone communication using random
7sampling or other scientific survey methods to gauge public
8opinion for or against any candidate or question of public
9policy.
10    Whenever any vendor or other person provides any of the
11services listed in this subsection, other than any telephone
12communication using random sampling or other scientific survey
13methods to gauge public opinion for or against any candidate
14or question of public policy, the vendor or person shall keep
15and maintain records showing the name and address of the
16person who purchased or requested the services and the amount
17paid for the services. The records required by this subsection
18shall be kept for a period of one year after the date upon
19which payment was received for the services.
20    (b) Any political committee, organized under this Code,
21that makes an expenditure for a pamphlet, circular, handbill,
22Internet or telephone communication, radio, television, or
23print advertisement, or other communication directed at voters
24and (i) mentioning the name of a candidate in the next upcoming
25election, without that candidate's permission, or (ii)
26advocating for or against a public policy position shall

 

 

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1ensure that the name of the political committee paying for any
2part of the communication, including, but not limited to, its
3preparation and distribution, is identified clearly within the
4communication. The communication shall also include a list of
5the top committee contributors of $50,000 or more, beginning
6with the largest contributor. Nothing in this subsection shall
7require disclosure on any telephone communication using random
8sampling or other scientific survey methods to gauge public
9opinion for or against any candidate or question of public
10policy.
11    (c) A political committee organized under this Code shall
12not make an expenditure for any unsolicited telephone call to
13the line of a residential telephone customer in this State
14using any method to block or otherwise circumvent that
15customer's use of a caller identification service.
16(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13; 98-691, eff. 7-1-14.)
 
17    (10 ILCS 5/9-10.5 new)
18    Sec. 9-10.5. Disclosure requirements.
19    (a) For radio advertisements, telephone calls, and
20audio-only electronic media advertisements that must disclose
21information pursuant to Section 9-9.5, the communication must
22be spoken clearly for at least 3 seconds at the beginning or
23end of the advertisement or call, in a pitch and tone
24substantially similar to the rest of the advertisement. Radio
25and prerecorded telephone advertisements must disclose only

 

 

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1the top 2 contributors of $50,000 or more unless the
2advertisement lasts 15 seconds or less or the disclosure
3statement would last more than 8 seconds, in which case only
4the single top contributor must be disclosed.
5    (b) For television and video advertisements that must
6disclose information pursuant to Section 9-9.5, including
7advertisements disseminated over the Internet, the
8communication text must be centered horizontally in the
9disclosure area, in a contrasting color, in Arial equivalent
10type and, if there are top contributors, underlined except as
11otherwise provided in this subsection (b). The size for the
12smallest letters must be 4% of the height of the display screen
13and must be displayed at the beginning or end of the
14advertisement for at least 5 seconds of a broadcast of 30
15seconds or less or for at least 10 seconds of a broadcast
16longer than 30 seconds. If a video is distributed as an
17electronic media advertisement and is longer than 30 seconds,
18the disclosures must be displayed at the beginning of the
19advertisement. If the television or video advertisement is
20shorter than the required disclosure display time, the
21disclosure may be displayed for the length of the
22advertisement. If the television or video advertisement is
23shorter than the required disclosure display time, the
24disclosure may be displayed for the length of the
25advertisement. Disclosures must appear on a solid black
26background on the entire bottom one-third of the display

 

 

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1screen, or bottom one-fourth of the display screen if no top
2contributors require disclosure. Each top contributor must be
3disclosed on a separate horizontal line separate from other
4text, may not be underlined, and may not be condensed or have
5the spacing between characters reduced to be narrower than a
6normal non-condensed Arial equivalent type, unless doing so is
7necessary to keep the name of a contributor from exceeding the
8width of the screen.
9    (c) For electronic media advertisements that are a
10graphic, image, animated graphic, or animated image that an
11online platform hosting the advertisement allows to link to an
12Internet website that must disclose information pursuant to
13Section 9-9.5, the communication must link to a website
14containing the required disclosures in a contrasting color and
15in no less than 8-point font. If including the text in 8-point
16font would take up more than one-third of the graphic or image,
17the text is not required and the advertisement need only
18include a hyperlink to a website containing the website
19disclosures. A website that is hyperlinked to the
20advertisement shall remain online and available to the public
21until 30 days after the date of the election for which the
22advertisement was intended.
23    (d) For all other electronic media advertisements that
24must disclose information pursuant to Section 9-9.5, the
25communication must display the required disclosures in a
26contrasting color that is easily readable by the average

 

 

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1viewer and in no less than 10-point font on the cover or header
2photo of the committee's profile, landing page, or similar
3location; disclosures are not required on each individual post
4or comment. The required disclosures, if practicable, must be
5visible on the cover or header photo when the profile, landing
6page, or similar location is viewed from any electronic device
7that is commonly used to view this form of electronic media,
8including, but not limited to, a computer screen, laptop,
9tablet, and smart phone.