House File 544 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 544 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 110) A BILL FOR An Act relating to matters before the Iowa ethics and campaign 1 disclosure board, including campaign finance filings and 2 attribution statements. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1402HV (1) 91 ss/ns
H.F. 544 Section 1. Section 68A.201, subsection 2, paragraphs a and 1 b, Code 2025, are amended to read as follows: 2 a. The name, purpose, mailing address, electronic mail 3 address, and telephone number of the committee. The committee 4 name shall not duplicate the name of another committee 5 organized under this section . For candidates committees 6 filing initial statements of organization on or after July 7 1, 1995, the candidates name shall be contained within the 8 committee name. 9 b. The name, mailing address, electronic mail address, and 10 position of the committee officers. 11 Sec. 2. Section 68A.201A, subsection 6, Code 2025, is 12 amended to read as follows: 13 6. The verified statement shall be filed by 4:30 in an 14 electronic format no later than 11:59 p.m. of the day the 15 filing is due. 16 Sec. 3. Section 68A.303, subsection 5, Code 2025, is amended 17 to read as follows: 18 5. A candidate, candidates committee, or any other person 19 shall not directly or indirectly receive or transfer campaign 20 funds with the intent of circumventing the requirements of this 21 section . A candidate for statewide or legislative office shall 22 not establish, direct, or maintain a political committee. 23 Sec. 4. Section 68A.401, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 24 2025, is amended to read as follows: 25 a. A state statutory political committee, a county statutory 26 political committee, a political committee, and a candidates 27 committee shall file all statements and reports in an 28 electronic format by 4:30 no later than 11:59 p.m. of the day 29 the filing is due and according to rules adopted by the board. 30 Sec. 5. Section 68A.405, subsection 1, paragraph a, 31 subparagraph (3), Code 2025, is amended to read as follows: 32 (3) Published material means any newspaper, magazine, 33 shopper, outdoor advertising facility, poster, direct mailing, 34 brochure, internet site, campaign sign, or any other form of 35 -1- LSB 1402HV (1) 91 ss/ns 1/ 3
H.F. 544 printed or electronic general public political advertising. 1 Published material includes radio, television, video, or 2 motion picture internet advertising. 3 Sec. 6. Section 68B.32, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended 4 to read as follows: 5 3. The board shall annually elect one member to serve as 6 the chairperson of the board and one member to serve as vice 7 chairperson. The vice chairperson shall act as the chairperson 8 in the absence or disability of the chairperson or in the 9 event of a vacancy in that office. The chairperson and vice 10 chairperson shall not be members of the same political party. 11 EXPLANATION 12 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 13 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 14 This bill relates to matters before the Iowa ethics and 15 campaign disclosure board (board). 16 The bill requires a political committee and a candidates 17 committee to provide an electronic mail address along with the 18 name, purpose, mailing address, and telephone number of the 19 committee when the committee files a statement of organization 20 with the board. When a committee or organization is not 21 organized under Code section 68A.201, the committee officers 22 are also required to provide an electronic mail address when 23 filing full disclosure reports of all financial activities with 24 the federal election commission or another states disclosure 25 commission. 26 The bill extends the deadline for required filings to be 27 submitted electronically to the board from 4:30 p.m. to 11:59 28 p.m. on the day the filings are due. By operation of law, 29 in computing time, the first day is excluded and the last 30 included, unless the last falls on Sunday or holiday, in which 31 case the time prescribed is extended so as to include the 32 whole of the following Monday, or day after the holiday, as 33 applicable. 34 The bill prohibits all candidates from establishing, 35 -2- LSB 1402HV (1) 91 ss/ns 2/ 3
H.F. 544 directing, or maintaining a political committee. Under current 1 law, the prohibition only applies to candidates for statewide 2 or legislative office. 3 The bill adds radio and internet advertising to the 4 definition of published material as used in Code chapter 68A, 5 and strikes motion picture advertising from the definition. 6 Published material, including radio and internet advertising 7 under the bill, that is designed to expressly advocate the 8 nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate for public 9 office or the passage or defeat of a ballot issue is required 10 to include an attribution statement disclosing who is 11 responsible for the material. 12 Current law requires the board to annually elect one member 13 to serve as the chairperson of the board and one member to 14 serve as vice chairperson. The bill prohibits the chairperson 15 and vice chairperson from being members of the same political 16 party. 17 -3- LSB 1402HV (1) 91 ss/ns 3/ 3