Relating to matters before the Iowa ethics and campaign disclosure board, including campaign finance filings, attribution statements, and delinquent payment penalties

This bill relates to matters before the Iowa ethics and campaign disclosure board (board). The bill requires a political committee and a candidate’s committee to provide an electronic mail address along with the name, purpose, mailing address, and telephone number of the committee when the committee files a statement of organization with the board.201, such committee officers are also required to provide an electronic mail address when filing full disclosure reports of all financial activities with the federal election commission or another state’s disclosure commission. on the day the filings are due. By operation of law, in computing time, the first day is excluded and the last included, unless the last falls on Sunday or holiday, in which case the time prescribed is extended so as to include the whole of the following Monday, or day after the holiday, as applicable. The bill adds radio and internet advertising to the definition of “published material” as used in Code chapter 68A, and strikes motion picture advertising from the definition. “Published material”, including radio and internet advertising under the bill, that is designed to expressly advocate the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate for public office or the passage or defeat of a ballot issue is required to include an attribution statement disclosing who is responsible for the material. The bill requires the attribution statement to be clear and conspicuous. For radio advertising, the attribution statement must be read in a clearly understandable manner. Current law requires the board to annually elect one member to serve as the chairperson of the board and one member to serve as vice chairperson. The bill prohibits the chairperson and vice chairperson from being members of the same political party. Under current law, the board must employ a full-time executive director who is the board’s chief administrative officer. The board must also employ or contract for the employment of legal counsel and any other personnel as may be necessary to carry out the duties of the board. The board’s legal counsel is the chief legal officer of the board and advises the board on all legal matters relating to the administration of Code chapters 68A and 68B. The bill authorizes the board to award the executive director, if that person also serves as the board’s legal counsel, additional compensation. The additional compensation must not annually exceed percent of the maximum annual salary for the range established by the general assembly for the board’s executive director position.32, subsection 1, paragraph “h”. The bill requires civil penalties to be paid within days of the board’s order for a penalty unless a payment plan is established. Under the bill, the board is authorized to adopt administrative rules and assess a late fee once each month in addition to a civil penalty that is delinquent for days or longer on or after July 1, 2024. The bill authorizes the board to notify the department of transportation (DOT) to suspend the driver’s license of a person who was issued a license in Iowa, if the person has a delinquent penalty in excess of $250 and received notice as provided in the bill.22). The suspension begins days after the notice is served and continues until the DOT issues a notice terminating the suspension. If a delinquent civil penalty of more than $250 is owed by a person who was not issued a driver’s license in Iowa, the board is required to revoke any authority granted by the board for the person to operate a candidate’s committee and a political committee in Iowa until the person’s debt is no longer delinquent. The bill provides for penalties to be waived and stayed under certain circumstances.