FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 657

                                  C 199 L 88

BYHouse Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics (originally sponsored by Representatives Fisher, Sanders, H. Sommers, Miller, Lewis, Prince, Jacobsen, Fisch, Taylor, Jesernig, Wang, D. Sommers, Sutherland, Kremen, May, Brough, Ferguson, L. Smith, Cooper, Betrozoff, Hankins and Spanel; by request of Public Disclosure Commission)

Prohibiting false political advertising.

House Committe on Constitution, Elections & Ethics

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

The public disclosure statutes prohibit a person from sponsoring political advertising that contains information the person knows to be false.  A person or candidate is prohibited from making, directly or indirectly, a false claim stating or implying the support or endorsement of a person or organization.  Further, no political advertising may falsely represent that a candidate is an incumbent for the office sought.  In general, the responsibility for complying with these rules rests with the sponsor of the advertising.

SUMMARY:

Provisions of the public disclosure statutes prohibiting various forms of false information in political advertising are amended.  The prohibitions apply to the sponsoring of political advertising containing such information when a person does so with knowledge of the falsity or with reckless disregard as to truth or falsity.  Such actions by a person are violations of the public disclosure statutes.  The violations must be proven by clear and convincing evidence.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 92   0

      Senate    47     0 (Senate amended)

      House             (House refused to concur)

      Senate    49     0 (Senate receded)

EFFECTIVE:June 9, 1988