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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 112 FILED ON: 1/6/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 850 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to honest online political advertisement disclosure and election interference. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester1/6/2025 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 112 FILED ON: 1/6/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 850 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative LeBoeuf of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 850) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf relative to electioneering communication expenditures. Election |
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| 20 | 20 | | Laws. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 704 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to honest online political advertisement disclosure and election interference. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 18F of chapter 55 of the General Laws is |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3sentence:- |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 Every individual, group, association, corporation, labor union or other entity not defined |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5as a political committee who makes an electioneering communication expenditure in an |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6aggregate amount exceeding $250 during a calendar year shall electronically file with the |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7director, within 7 days after making the expenditure, a report stating the name and address of the |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8individual, group, association, corporation, labor union or other entity making the electioneering |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9communication, the name of any candidate clearly identified in the communication, the total |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10amount or value of the communication, the name and address of the vendor to whom the 2 of 3 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11payments were made and the purpose and date of the expenditure; provided, that no individual, |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12group, association, corporation, labor union or other entity not defined as a political committee |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13shall expend funds except funds of a United States Citizen for the purpose of an electioneering |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14communication expenditure made in relation to internet advertising; provided, that if |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15electioneering communication expenditure was made in relation to internet advertising, the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16report shall also include the advertisement as delivered to the vendor, the demographic |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17information of the advertising target and the 5 persons or entities or if fewer than 5 persons or |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18entities, all persons or entities that made the largest contributions to that entity, regardless of the |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19purpose for which the funds were given; provided further, that if an internet advertisement |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20electioneering communication is removed from a website, the individual, group, association, |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21corporation, labor union or other entity not defined as a political committee shall provide an |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22electronic addendum to the report stating the reason for the removal provided by the website; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23provided further, that if electioneering communication expenditure was made in relation to |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24internet advertising, the report shall certify under the pains and penalties of perjury that the |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25expenditure was paid for exclusively by United States citizens. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26 SECTION 2. Chapter 55 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27section 18G the following section:- |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28 Section 18H. The director shall establish an online public archive for internet advertising |
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| 59 | 59 | | 29electioneering communications. The archive shall make available every electioneering |
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| 60 | 60 | | 30communication that is an internet advertisement, the demographic information of the advertising |
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| 61 | 61 | | 31target and the 5 persons or entities or if fewer than 5 persons or entities, all persons or entities |
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| 62 | 62 | | 32that made the largest contributions to that entity, regardless of the purpose for which the funds 3 of 3 |
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| 63 | 63 | | 33were given. If an internet advertisement electioneering communication was removed from a |
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| 64 | 64 | | 34website, the archive shall also make available the reason for removal provided by the website. |
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| 65 | 65 | | 35 The director shall solicit public comment and promulgate rules and regulations regarding |
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| 66 | 66 | | 36internet advertising electioneering communications on online platforms. |
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