16-912. Campaign literature and advertisement sponsors; identification; civil penalty

1. A political committee that makes an expenditure for campaign literature or advertisements that expressly advocate the election or defeat of any candidate or that make any solicitation of contributions to any political committee shall be registered pursuant to this chapter at the time of distribution, placement or solicitation and shall include on the literature or advertisement the following disclosure:
   1. If authorized or paid for by a candidate, a candidate's campaign committee or an agent of either, the literature or advertisement shall clearly state that it was paid for by the candidate or the candidate's campaign committee.

   2. If not authorized or paid for by a candidate, a candidate's campaign committee or any agent of either, the literature or advertisement shall clearly state:

      (a) The name of the political committee that paid for the literature or advertisement, the name of the chairman of the political committee and a telephone number where that individual can be contacted.

      (b) That the literature or advertisement is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's campaign committee.

2. If the expenditure for the campaign literature or advertisements by a political committee is an independent expenditure, the political committee, in addition to the disclosures required by subsection A of this section, shall include on the literature or advertisement the names and telephone numbers of the three individuals and political committees making the largest contributions to the political committee making the independent expenditure. If an acronym is used to name any political committee outlined in this section, the name of any sponsoring organization of the political committee shall also be printed or spoken. For purposes of determining the three contributors to be disclosed, the contributions of each individual or political committee to the political committee making the independent expenditure during the one year period before the election being affected are aggregated.

3. The provisions of subsection A of this section do not apply to bumper stickers, pins, buttons, pens and similar small items on which the statements required in subsection A of this section cannot be conveniently printed or to signs paid for by a candidate with campaign monies or by a candidate's campaign committee or to a solicitation of contributions by a separate segregated fund from those persons it may solicit pursuant to sections 16-920 and 16-921.

4. The disclosures required pursuant to this section shall be printed clearly and legibly in a conspicuous manner or, if the advertisement is broadcast on a telecommunications system, the disclosure shall be spoken.

5. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of three times the cost of the literature or advertisement. This civil penalty shall be imposed as prescribed in section 16-924.

WARNING - The above text was curent June 2003, but may be outdated now.