RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 589 (SB 488) 2024 Regular Session Cathey
Prior law (R.S. 42:1130.4) prohibited a candidate in an election from, with the intent to
mislead the voters, distributing or causing to be distributed any oral, visual, or written
material containing any statement which he knows or should be reasonably expected to
know makes a false statement about another candidate in the election.
New law retains prior law and further prohibits any political committee from making such
a statement.
Existing law (R.S. 18:1483) defines "political committee" as any of the following:
1) Two or more persons, other than a husband and wife, and any legal entity organized
for the primary purpose of supporting or opposing one or more candidates,
propositions, recalls of a public officer, or political parties, which does any of the
following:
a) Accepts contributions in the name of the committee, or makes expenditures
from committee funds or in the name of the committee, or makes a transfer
of funds to or receives a transfer of funds from another committee, or
receives or makes loans in an aggregate amount in excess of $500 within any
calendar year.
b) Accepts direct payments for personal services related to an election or a
campaign in the name of the committee in an aggregate amount in excess of
$500 within any calendar year, with certain exceptions.
2) Any state central committee, parish executive committee, and any other committee
of any political party which receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess
of $500 during a calendar year.
New law provides that "political committee" has the same meaning as provided in prior law.
Existing law authorizes the Bd. of Ethics by a majority vote of the membership to censure
an elected official or person, or impose a fine of not more than $10,000, or both, for certain
violations. Existing law applies to violations of new law.
Effective August 1, 2024.
(Amends R.S. 42:1130.4)


Statutes affected:
SB488 Original:
SB488 Engrossed:
SB488 Enrolled:
SB488 Act 589: