FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the California Clean Money
Campaign
February 25, 2018
Contact: Trent Lange, (310) 428-1556
Issue Ad DISCLOSE Act Introduced by Speaker pro Tem Kevin
Mullin
AB 1217 Provides Crucial Disclosure on Both Issue Ads and
Sham Issue Ads
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Amid growing concerns about issue ads
using secret money to try to kill legislation, and "sham"
issue ads that attack candidates yet escape disclosure by
not "expressly advocating" for someone, California will
again lead the way to greater transparency with the launch
of AB 1217, the Issue Ad DISCLOSE Act, authored by
Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin.
Special interests' use of issue ads to influence
legislation while hiding who's paying for them goes back to
the infamous "Harry and Louise" ads that helped kill
national health care proposals in 1993-1994. Voters never
saw the names of the insurance companies behind the $14 to
$20 million in misleading ads.
The problem is growing in California. Last year, a shadowy
group called "CALInnovates" placed over 400 ads on Facebook
alone trying to kill the California Net Neutrality bill (SB
822). And while the legislature was debating bills on how
to hold PG&E accountable for devastating wildfires,
PG&E spent over $6 million on "grassroots and other
advocacy related to state legislative proposals" while
television ads from "The BRITE Coalition" -- probably paid
for by PG&E, but nobody knows for sure -- blanketed the
airwaves with messages defusing blame without saying who
paid for them.
"California has come a long way recently with adding
greater transparency to who is paying for political
advertisements. AB 1217 builds on that transparency by
requiring interest groups, who pay for advertising intended
to influence the outcome on matters before the Legislature,
to disclose who is actually paying for those ads,"
Mullin said. "AB 1217 is common sense; it simply allows
the public to better understand which interest groups are
seeking to influence and shape California public
policy."
AB 1217 expands the reach of AB 249, the California
DISCLOSE Act, passed in 2017, and AB 2188, the Social Media
DISCLOSE Act, passed in 2018, both authored by
Assemblymember Mullin working with the California Clean
Money Campaign. AB 1217 adds "issue advocacy
advertisements" to the Political Reform Act definition of
"advertisements", so that issue ads on television, radio,
print, and social media will be required to clearly list
their top 3 funders, just as AB 249 and AB 2188 require for
ballot measure ads and independent expenditures about
candidates. In addition, like ballot measure ads, issue ads
will be required to use AB 249's nation-leading earmarking
rules to show true funders even if they try to hide behind
front groups.
AB 1217 also requires "electioneering communication" ads
that name or depict candidates from 120 days before the
primary to the date of the general election to clearly show
their top 3 funders. Currently, such ads can avoid
disclosure requirements by attacking candidates without
"expressly advocating" for or against them. Over $26
million in such sham issue ads were reported (under
lobbying laws) in California since 2010.
"We're thrilled to be working with Speaker pro Tem
Kevin Mullin on the Issue Ad DISCLOSE Act to build on our
historic victories together passing the California DISCLOSE
Act and Social Media DISCLOSE Act," said Trent
Lange, President of the California Clean Money
Campaign. "Legislation can have as much -- or
more -- effect on people's lives as ballot measures, so
it's just as wrong to allow issue ads to mislead voters
about who paid for them."
DISCLOSE is an acronym for Democracy is Strengthened by
Casting Light on Spending in Elections.
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The California Clean Money Campaign is a non-partisan
501(c)(3) organization that has been dedicated to educating
the public about the need to lessen the unfair influence of
Big Money on election campaigns since 2001. For further
information, visit www.CAclean.org.
AB 1217 Provides Crucial Disclosure on Both Issue Ads and Sham Issue Ads
