Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1141 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2	2	LJH014 01/15/2025 7:36:24 AM LJH014
3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1141 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representative R. Scott Richardson 5
8	8	By: Senator J. Bryant 6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO CREATE CRIMINAL OFFENSES RELATED TO 9
12	12	DECEPTIVE AND INJURIOUS MEDIA IN THE COURSE OF 10
13	13	ELECTION CAMPAIGNS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
14	14	12
15	15	13
16	16	Subtitle 14
17	17	TO CREATE CRIMINAL OFFENSES RELATED TO 15
18	18	DECEPTIVE AND INJURIOUS MEDIA IN THE 16
19	19	COURSE OF ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. 17
20	20	18
21	21	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
22	22	20
23	23	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 7 -1-103(a), concerning misdemeanors under 21
24	24	the laws governing elections in the State of Arkansas, is amended to add 22
25	25	additional subdivisions to read as follows: 23
26	26	(25) It shall be unlawful for a person to purposefully deceive 24
27	27	the audience and injure a candidate or influence the results of an election 25
28	28	by entering into a contract or other agreement to print, publish, or 26
29	29	broadcast political advertising that purports to emanate from a source other 27
30	30	than its true source; 28
31	31	(26) It shall be unlawful for a person to purposefully deceive 29
32	32	the audience and injure a candidate or influence the results of an election 30
33	33	by representing in a campaign communication that the communication emanates 31
34	34	from a source other than its true source; 32
35	35	(27)(A) It shall be unlawful for a person to purposefully injure 33
36	36	a candidate or influence the result of an election by: 34
37	37	(i) Creating or causing to be created a deep fake 35
38	38	video; and 36 HB1141
39	39
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41	41	(ii) Publishing, distributing, or causing to be 1
42	42	published or distributed the deep fake video during the period beginning 2
43	43	ninety (90) days before the date of the election and ending on the date of 3
44	44	the election. 4
45	45	(B) As used in this subdivision (a)(27), "deep fake video" 5
46	46	means a video that appears to depict a real person performing an action that 6
47	47	did not occur in reality; and 7
48	48	(28)(A) It shall be unlawful for a person to purposefully 8
49	49	deceive the audience and influence the results of an election by: 9
50	50	(i) Creating or causing to be created an altered 10
51	51	image; or 11
52	52	(ii) Publishing, distributing, or causing to be 12
53	53	published or distributed an altered image during the period beginning ninety 13
54	54	(90) days before the date of the election and ending on the date of the 14
55	55	election. 15
56	56	(B) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution for an 16
57	57	offense under this subdivision (a)(28) that the person included a clear label 17
58	58	on the image stating that the image has been altered. 18
59	59	(C)(i) As used in this subdivision (a)(28), "altered 19
60	60	image" means an image that has been manipulated to change the physical 20
61	61	appearance of an individual or depict an individual performing an action that 21
62	62	did not occur in reality. 22
63	63	(ii) As used in this subdivision (a)(28), "altered 23
64	64	image" does not include: 24
65	65	(a) A cartoon, caricature, or any other image 25
66	66	that a reasonable viewer would understand to be a satirical representation of 26
67	67	the individual; or 27
68	68	(b) An image altered only to change the 28
69	69	saturation, brightness, contrast, color, or any other superficial quality of 29
70	70	the image. 30
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