Bill > SB675

This bill, titled the "Truth in Political Advertising Act," mandates that advertisements used for political purposes, meaning to support or oppose candidates in statewide elections (excluding judicial races) or for the state legislature, must be reviewed by two independent entities, called "review agencies," before being released to the public through any medium like print, broadcast, or electronic means. These review agencies, contracted by the office of the attorney general, will score advertisements on a scale of one to five for both truthfulness and how misleading they are. The scores will be displayed visually on the advertisement, or stated at the end for radio ads, with specific disclaimers required if an advertisement is not reviewed or cannot be rated. If the initial two review agencies disagree significantly on an advertisement's truthfulness or misleading nature, a third agency will be consulted. Failure to submit an advertisement for review will result in a fine equal to twice the advertisement's production and distribution cost, along with a mandatory disclaimer stating it was not reviewed; a further penalty applies if this disclaimer is omitted. The bill also appropriates $5 million to the attorney general's office to establish and manage these review agencies and their processes.