Elections committee advances two bills on campaign attribution and online registration; HB 24-46 and HB 24-38 pass out of committee
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Summary
The Committee on Elections voted to move forward HB 24-46, which removes treasurers' names from paid-for political attributions, and HB 24-38, which regulates non-.gov voter-registration websites and was amended to delay effect until regulations exist and to add a misdemeanor penalty for uncertified sites. Votes were voice votes; detailed tallies were not recorded.
The Committee on Elections voted on two house bills during its session and advanced both measures out of committee.
House Bill 24-46, described to the panel by Revisor Mike Heim as an amendment to statutes governing political advertising, strikes the explicit requirement that treasurers’ names appear in paid broadcast or publication attributions. Representative Williams moved to pass the bill favorably and Representative Chauncey seconded; after brief discussion about whether fiscal impacts exist, the chair called a voice vote and declared the motion carried. A committee staff member noted a fiscal note was placed on the internal S-Drive but not public online; no formal roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
On House Bill 24-38 the committee considered legislation giving the secretary of state authority to adopt standards for third-party websites that provide voter registration services (sites not on a .gov domain). Vice Chair Wagner moved the bill forward and the chair offered an amendment that responds to opponents’ concerns. The amendment (adopted by voice vote) delays the bill’s effective date until the secretary of state promulgates implementing regulations, removes a fixed regulatory deadline, and establishes a class A misdemeanor for operating an uncertified online registration site. The ranking minority member moved to table the bill until an accurate fiscal note is available; that motion was defeated in a voice vote. The committee then voted to pass HB 24-38 as amended.
Both committee actions were taken by voice vote and recorded in the transcript as "the ayes appear to have it"; the record does not show numeric tallies or individual roll-call votes. Committee members repeatedly raised concerns about fiscal notes and implementation details; staff referenced a fiscal note in an internal S-Drive for HB 24-46 and said additional fiscal work was being sought for the registration bill. The secretary of state’s office did not take a policy position on HB 24-38 but asked the panel to be aware of practical implementation issues.
Next steps: Both bills were reported out of committee for further consideration by the full chamber. The committee did not take final action on HB 24-52, which received an extended hearing and is expected to return with additional data and fiscal analysis before members vote.
