HF 807

1st Engrossment - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to elections; fair campaign practices; 
  1.3             prohibiting distorted photographs of candidates in 
  1.4             campaign materials; providing a penalty; proposing 
  1.5             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 211B.
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [211B.065] [DISTORTED PHOTOGRAPHS OF CANDIDATES 
  1.8   PROHIBITED.] 
  1.9      No party organization within a house of the legislature 
  1.10  shall disseminate campaign material that contains a distorted 
  1.11  photograph of an opposing candidate.  A violation of this 
  1.12  section is not a crime.  A party organization within a house of 
  1.13  the legislature that violates this section is subject to the 
  1.14  following penalty:  a party organization within a house of the 
  1.15  legislature that could otherwise issue political contribution 
  1.16  refund receipts under section 290.06, subdivision 23, is 
  1.17  prohibited from doing so after the date of the finding of a 
  1.18  violation. 
  1.19     This section does not apply to a photograph of a candidate 
  1.20  in campaign material that promotes the nomination or election of 
  1.21  the candidate. 
  1.22     If the court finds a violation of this section, it must 
  1.23  provide a copy of its findings to the campaign finance and 
  1.24  public disclosure board and the department of revenue for 
  1.25  purposes of enforcing this section.