CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
HOUSE BILL 2032
Chapter 148, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
POLITICAL YARD SIGNS—NAME AND ADDRESS OF SPONSOR
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House March 5, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 89 Nays 4
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
House of Representatives of the
LAURIE JINKINS State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of certify that the attached is HOUSE
Representatives BILL 2032 as passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate February 29,
2024 BERNARD DEAN
Yeas 49 Nays 0 Chief Clerk
DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 18, 2024 3:15 PM FILED
March 19, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 HOUSE BILL 2032
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Representatives Cheney, Low, Ramos, and Graham
Prefiled 12/22/23. Read first time 01/08/24. Referred to Committee
on State Government & Tribal Relations.
1 AN ACT Relating to reducing the size of yard signs that are
2 exempt from certain political advertising disclosure requirements;
3 and amending RCW 42.17A.320.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5 Sec. 1. RCW 42.17A.320 and 2019 c 261 s 3 are each amended to
6 read as follows:
7 (1) All written political advertising, whether relating to
8 candidates or ballot propositions, shall include the sponsor's name
9 and address. All radio and television political advertising, whether
10 relating to candidates or ballot propositions, shall include the
11 sponsor's name. The use of an assumed name for the sponsor of
12 electioneering communications, independent expenditures, or political
13 advertising shall be unlawful. For partisan office, if a candidate
14 has expressed a party or independent preference on the declaration of
15 candidacy, that party or independent designation shall be clearly
16 identified in electioneering communications, independent
17 expenditures, or political advertising.
18 (2) In addition to the information required by subsection (1) of
19 this section, except as specifically addressed in subsections (4) and
20 (5) of this section, all political advertising undertaken as an
21 independent expenditure or an electioneering communication by a
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 1 person or entity other than a bona fide political party must include
2 as part of the communication:
3 (a) The statement: "No candidate authorized this ad. It is paid
4 for by (name, address, city, state)";
5 (b) If the sponsor is a political committee, the statement: "Top
6 Five Contributors," followed by a listing of the names of the five
7 persons making the largest contributions as determined by RCW
8 42.17A.350(1); and if necessary, the statement "Top Three Donors to
9 PAC Contributors," followed by a listing of the names of the three
10 individuals or entities, other than political committees, making the
11 largest aggregated contributions as determined by RCW 42.17A.350(2);
12 and
13 (c) If the sponsor is a political committee established,
14 maintained, or controlled directly, or indirectly through the
15 formation of one or more political committees, by an individual,
16 corporation, union, association, or other entity, the full name of
17 that individual or entity.
18 (3) The information required by subsections (1) and (2) of this
19 section shall:
20 (a) Appear on the first page or fold of the written advertisement
21 or communication in at least ten-point type, or in type at least ten
22 percent of the largest size type used in a written advertisement or
23 communication directed at more than one voter, such as a billboard or
24 poster, whichever is larger;
25 (b) Not be subject to the half-tone or screening process; and
26 (c) Be set apart from any other printed matter. No text may be
27 before, after, or immediately adjacent to the information required by
28 subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
29 (4) In an independent expenditure or electioneering communication
30 transmitted via television or other medium that includes a visual
31 image, the following statement must either be clearly spoken, or
32 appear in print and be visible for at least four seconds, appear in
33 letters greater than four percent of the visual screen height on a
34 solid black background on the entire bottom one-third of the
35 television or visual display screen, or bottom one-fourth of the
36 screen if the sponsor does not have or is otherwise not required to
37 list its top five contributors, and have a reasonable color contrast
38 with the background: "No candidate authorized this ad. Paid for by
39 (name, city, state)." If the advertisement or communication is
40 undertaken by a nonindividual other than a party organization, then
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 1 the following notation must also be included: "Top Five Contributors"
2 followed by a listing of the names of the five persons making the
3 largest aggregate contributions as determined by RCW 42.17A.350(1);
4 and if necessary, the statement "Top Three Donors to PAC
5 Contributors," followed by a listing of the names of the three
6 individuals or entities other than political committees making the
7 largest aggregate contributions to political committees as determined
8 by RCW 42.17A.350(2). Abbreviations may be used to describe
9 contributing entities if the full name of the entity has been clearly
10 spoken previously during the broadcast advertisement.
11 (5) The following statement shall be clearly spoken in an
12 independent expenditure or electioneering communication transmitted
13 by a method that does not include a visual image: "No candidate
14 authorized this ad. Paid for by (name, city, state)." If the
15 independent expenditure or electioneering communication is undertaken
16 by a nonindividual other than a party organization, then the
17 following statement must also be included: "Top Five Contributors"
18 followed by a listing of the names of the five persons making the
19 largest contributions as determined by RCW 42.17A.350(1); and if
20 necessary, the statement "Top Three Donors to PAC Contributors,"
21 followed by a listing of the names of the three individuals or
22 entities, other than political committees, making the largest
23 aggregate contributions to political committees as determined by RCW
24 42.17A.350(2). Abbreviations may be used to describe contributing
25 entities if the full name of the entity has been clearly spoken
26 previously during the broadcast advertisement.
27 (6) Political advertising costing one thousand dollars or more
28 supporting or opposing ballot measures sponsored by a political
29 committee must include the information on the top five contributors
30 and top three contributors, other than political committees, as
31 required by RCW 42.17A.350. A series of political advertising
32 sponsored by the same political committee, each of which is under one
33 thousand dollars, must include the top five contributors and top
34 three contributors, other than political committees, as required by
35 RCW 42.17A.350 once their cumulative value reaches one thousand
36 dollars or more.
37 (7) Political yard signs are exempt from the requirements of this
38 section that ((the sponsor's name and address, and)) the top five
39 contributors and top three PAC contributors as required by RCW
40 42.17A.350((,)) be listed on the advertising. In addition, the public
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1 disclosure commission shall, by rule, exempt from the identification
2 requirements of this section forms of political advertising such as
3 campaign buttons, balloons, pens, pencils, sky-writing, inscriptions,
4 and other forms of advertising where identification is impractical.
5 (8) For the purposes of this section, "yard sign" means any
6 outdoor sign with dimensions no greater than eight feet by four feet.
Passed by the House March 5, 2024.
Passed by the Senate February 29, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 18, 2024.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 19, 2024.
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Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 42.17A.320
Bill as Passed Legislature: 42.17A.320
Session Law: 42.17A.320