The bill amends section 16.1-10-04 of the North Dakota Century Code to address the issue of false political advertisements. It establishes that a person can be charged with a class A misdemeanor for knowingly publishing or recklessly disregarding the truth of any political advertisement or news release that contains false, deceptive, or misleading statements about a candidate or related electoral issues. The bill broadens the scope of media through which such advertisements can be disseminated, explicitly including social media and other commercial mediums.

Additionally, the bill provides that candidates who are the subjects of misleading advertisements have the right to initiate civil actions to recover damages. If successful, these candidates are entitled to recover the full amount of costs and attorney's fees incurred during the legal proceedings. The bill also clarifies that traditional media outlets, such as newspapers and television stations, are not held liable if they are not the source of the misleading content.

Statutes affected:
INTRODUCED: 16.1-08.1-01, 16.1-08.1-03.2, 16.1-08.1-03.7, 16.1-10-04
Prepared by the Legislative Council staff for Representative Kasper: 16.1-10-04
FIRST ENGROSSMENT: 16.1-10-04