Each time these types of bills appear, it looks less like a coincidence and more like a strategy to undermine efforts to hold elected officials accountable for votes that affect personal rights.
Meet S.960 with the cheery title: Campaign Practices.
What does it do? It adds two definitions in section one and creates a new section code 8-13-1375.
Section 1 - Adds a new definition to section 8-13-1300 (35):
"Election communication" means the following forms of communication to support or oppose a clearly identified candidate or ballot measure, or to influence the outcome of an election: (a) a paid advertisement broadcast over radio, television, cable, or satellite; (b) a paid placement of content on the internet or another electronic communication network; (c) a paid advertisement published in a newspaper, in a periodical, or on a billboard; or (d) a mailing or other printed materials.
This is the bill’s “everything counts” moment. Any paid message (TV, radio, internet, print) aiding or opposing a candidate or issue is now an “election communication.”
Adds another new definition to section 8-13-1300 (36):
“Independent expenditure committee” means two or more individuals, or a person other than an individual who is not organized or operating for the primary purpose of supporting or opposing candidates or ballot measures or influencing the outcome of an election, who engage in election communications in excess of five hundred dollars during an election cycle.
Even if you’re not a political group, if you spend $500 or more on political messaging, you will be classified as an independent expenditure committee under the new bill.
The explanation for what follows after you get that title promotion is coming in the next section.
Section 2 - Section 8-13-1375: Here’s where it gets heavy and where the real chilling effect lives.
If you qualify as an “independent expenditure committee” under S.960, you’re now on the hook for detailed compliance rules, including major donor and spending disclosures.
A) Donor disclosures
(1) Identify each person who gave $1,000+ aggregate during the reporting period, including name, address, occupation, and employer.
(2) List aggregate amounts across reporting periods.
(3) Report certain loans and fundraising proceeds ($1,000+ per person).
B) Spending disclosures
(1) Detailed vendor reporting: name, address, occupation, business, plus amount, date, and purpose.
(2) Separate reporting for personal services, salaries, and reimbursements.
(3) Transfers to political committees/candidates.
(4) Debts/obligations.
C) Forced disclaimers on communications
(1) For internet/print/mail: committee name and address in a “legible, conspicuous” place.
(2) For broadcast: the committee name must be clearly spoken, and the address must be included.
D) Record retention
(1) Maintain required records for 4 years.
E) Filing schedule
(1) File with the State Ethics Commission on the same schedule as Section 8-13-1308 campaign reports.
That’s a lot. Tired yet? Same.
So with all these rules, the unintended consequences are:
Small nonprofits may decide not to participate in political speech.
Donors could be discouraged from giving due to the prospect of their information being made public and the potential for scrutiny.
And for regular civic groups, simply crossing that spending threshold under this bill creates unnecessary stress, given how detailed and demanding the requirements become.
This is how you control elections by making normal people shut up. The result of this bill will be fewer citizens participating and more power for the people who can afford the compliance game.
Call to Action: Contact your Senator and ask them to kill this bill… ASAP!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or professional advice. ConservaTruth assumes no liability for any actions taken based on this content. Readers are encouraged to review the bill text themselves. Read more.
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