[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4527 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4527

 To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require certain 
  campaign-related communications paid for by a corporation or labor 
  organization to include a statement identifying the chief executive 
officer of the corporation or the president of the labor organization, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2010

 Mr. Driehaus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require certain 
  campaign-related communications paid for by a corporation or labor 
  organization to include a statement identifying the chief executive 
officer of the corporation or the president of the labor organization, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Corporate and Labor Electioneering 
Advertisement Reform Act'' or the ``CLEAR Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENTS INCLUDED IN CAMPAIGN-RELATED COMMUNICATIONS FUNDED 
              BY CORPORATIONS OR LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Requiring Statement Identifying Head of Corporation or 
Organization.--Section 318(d) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 (2 U.S.C. 441d(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Any communication'' and 
        inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph (3), any 
        communication''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Special rules for communications paid for by 
        corporations or labor organizations.--
                    ``(A) Disclosure statement required.--Any 
                communication described in paragraph (3) of subsection 
                (a) which is a corporate communication or a labor 
                organization communication and which is transmitted 
                through radio or television shall include, in addition 
                to the requirements of that paragraph, the disclosure 
                statement described in subparagraph (C).
                    ``(B) Method of conveyance of statement.--
                            ``(i) Communications transmitted through 
                        radio.--In the case of a communication to which 
                        this paragraph applies which is transmitted 
                        through radio, the disclosure statement 
                        described in subparagraph (C) shall be made by 
                        audio in a clearly spoken manner by the 
                        applicable individual.
                            ``(ii) Communications transmitted through 
                        television.--In the case of a communication to 
                        which this paragraph applies which is 
                        transmitted through television, the disclosure 
                        statement described in subparagraph (C) shall 
                        be conveyed by an unobscured, full-screen view 
                        of the applicable individual, or by the 
                        applicable individual making the statement in 
                        voice-over accompanied by a clearly 
                        identifiable photograph or similar image of the 
                        individual. The statement, together with a 
                        clearly readable logo of the corporation or 
                        labor organization (as the case may be), if 
                        any, shall also appear in writing at the end of 
                        the communication in a clearly readable manner 
                        with a reasonable degree of color contrast 
                        between the background and the printed 
                        statement and logo, for a period of at least 4 
                        seconds.
                    ``(C) Disclosure statement described.--The 
                disclosure statement described in this subparagraph is 
                the following: `I am _______, and _______ paid for this 
                advertisement and approves its contents.', with--
                            ``(i) the first blank to be filled in with 
                        the name and title of the applicable 
                        individual; and
                            ``(ii) the second blank to the filled in 
                        with the name of the corporation (in the case 
                        of a corporate communication) or the name of 
                        the labor organization (in the case of a labor 
                        organization communication).
                    ``(D) Definitions.--In this paragraph--
                            ``(i) the term `applicable individual' 
                        means the chief executive officer of a 
                        corporation (with respect to a corporate 
                        communication) or the highest ranking officer 
                        of a labor organization (with respect to a 
                        labor organization communication);
                            ``(ii) the term `corporate communication' 
                        means a communication paid for in whole or in 
                        part by a corporation, other than a 
                        communication paid for in whole by a separate 
                        segregated fund established by a corporation 
                        under section 316(b)(2)(C); and
                            ``(iii) the term `labor organization 
                        communication' means a communication paid for 
                        in whole or in part by a labor organization, 
                        other than a communication paid for in whole by 
                        a separate segregated fund established by a 
                        labor organization under section 
                        316(b)(2)(C).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to communications made on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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