[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PUSH POLL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2005

  (Mr. PETRI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to 
increase the disclosure requirements for telephone push polls. My bill, 
the Push Poll Disclosure Act of 2005, uses the light of public 
disclosure to lift the darkness surrounding these smear polls, which 
are a campaign device to spread disinformation about candidates under 
the cover of a legitimate poll.
  They are not, however, real polls. Their only purpose is to create a 
negative image among the voting public without leaving a visible trace. 
My bill combats this obnoxious practice by requiring increased 
disclosure for polls when more than 1,200 households are included.
  The time has come to regulate smear polls for what they are, a 
campaign tactic, and make those who employ this tactic take full 
responsibility for their actions.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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