An Act Regarding Telephonic Political Communications and Push Polling

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§5,  as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §9, is further amended to read:

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1014-B, sub-§2, ¶A,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 416, §1, is amended to read:

summary

This bill amends the political communications laws to require that all prerecorded automated telephone calls and scripted live telephone communications, including those made for the purposes of researching the views of voters, that name a clearly identified candidate during the 21 days before a primary election or the 35 days before a general election clearly state at the start of the call the name of the person or organization that made or financed the expenditure for the communication. The bill requires that, for scripted live telephone communications, if the respondent requests additional information on the person or organization that made or financed the expenditure for the communication, the caller must describe where such information, including information relating to the source or sources of funding for the person or organization, is available for inspection. The bill also amends the push polling laws to require that a caller disclose at the start of a call the person or organization sponsoring or authorizing the call and the organization making the call if different from the sponsor. Current law requires only that these disclosures be made at some point during the call. This bill also requires that, if a respondent requests additional information on the person or organization sponsoring or authorizing the call, the caller must describe to the respondent where such information, including information relating to the source or sources of funding for the person or organization, is available for inspection.