BILL NUMBER: S2437A
SPONSOR: KRUEGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to requiring disclosure of
social media posts that are paid for by a campaign; and authorizes the
state board of elections to promulgate certain regulations
 
PURPOSE:
This purpose of this bill is to provide transparency to social media
posts paid for by political campaigns.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill would amend 14-106 of the election law to
require that social media posts paid for by the campaign be filed with
the state board of elections and would further require a "paid for by"
disclosure on any such social media post. This section would also
authorize the state board of elections to promulgate additional regu-
lations related to filing requirements.
Section two of the bill provides the effective date.
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
The amended version of this bill contains technical amendments to clari-
fy the intent of the bill.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As political campaigns and technology evolve to better engage the
public, so should our laws. Unlike other forms of political communi-
cation, it is currently unclear in election law if campaigns need to
report payments made for social media posts on their behalf. Social
media played a significant role in the 2024 election cycle, with a myri-
ad of candidates paying for social media posts containing supportive
content on behalf of their campaigns. The public should know if a post
on social media is genuine or being made in exchange for payment from a
campaign, so they have the proper context to make informed choices. This
bill would ensure that, if a social media post is created, the campaign
would file a disclosure indicating such.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: S.4733-A - Passed Senate
2023: S.4733 - Elections
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law.