[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REINTRODUCTION OF ``VOTERS' RIGHT TO KNOW ACT''

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, today, I, along with Representative 
Petri (R-WI), reintroduce legislation to subject operators of push 
polls or phone banks to the same disclosure requirements as other types 
of political communication. It will not ban push polls or phone 
banking--it will simply create a level playing field for all types of 
political communication. Under this bill, any person conducting these 
types of calls would be required to disclose to each recipient of a 
call the identity of the organization paying for the call. In addition, 
the bill would require that campaigns and other organizations that 
conduct advocacy phone calls report to the Federal Election Commission 
(FEC) the number of households they have contacted and the script they 
used in making the calls. The bill would not interfere with legitimate 
polling, conducted either by candidates or independent organizations, 
as it would only apply to phone banks in which more than 1,500 
households are contacted within the 25 days preceding a federal 
election.

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