Bill > H821

This bill aims to provide disclosure requirements for political phone calls, specifically those that are considered "push-polling." The key provisions include: 1. Defining "push-polling" as calling voters on behalf of, in support of, or in opposition to any candidate for public office, asking questions related to opposing candidates, and conducting these calls as part of a series of calls lasting less than 2 minutes (over 2,000 calls for federal and statewide elections, or over 500 calls for other state and local elections). 2. Requiring any person, association, corporation, labor union, or other entity engaging in push-polling to inform the person being called that the call is a "paid political advertisement," identify the organization making and paying for the call, provide a valid, publicly-listed phone number for the organization, and identify the candidate(s) the call is made on behalf of, in support of, or in opposition to. 3. Prohibiting callers from stating or implying false or fictitious names or phone numbers when providing the required disclosures. 4. Establishing a fine of up to $1,000 for violations of these provisions. The purpose of this bill is to increase transparency and disclosure requirements for political phone calls that could be considered "push-polling," which is a form of telephone-based political campaigning that can be misleading or manipulative.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H821