The bill is part of a package of legislation partly written in response to major undisclosed donations in last November’s election.
“We believe that will also provide a strong disincentive to flood our state with money that’s against the law or not attributed,” says the bill's author State Senator Ted Lieu.
He says current penalties for violating state campaign laws haven’t changed in more than a decade. His bill would increase them up to six times.
The bill would also require candidates for state office to reveal the campaign ads for which they’ve provided support.
“It’s something that Presidential candidates and Congressional candidates have been doing for over a decade now,” says Phillip Ung is with Common Cause California, the bill’s co-sponsor. “State-wide candidates are not required to do that.”
The bill has passed the Senate and now on its way to the Assembly Elections Committee.
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