SB302 Alabama 2024 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rodger SmithermanSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2024

Title

Fair Campaign Practices Act; definitions of electioneering communications, expenditures, and political action committee revised; reporting requirements for electioneering communications revised

Summary

SB302 rewrites definitions and reporting rules for electioneering communications, expenditures, and political action committees under Alabama’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.

What This Bill Does

It redefines electioneering communications as paid ads that occur 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election, are targeted to the relevant voters in the candidate's area, and urge people to vote for or against a candidate, and it requires reporting of these communications in a more streamlined way. It narrows and clarifies what counts as an expenditure, including excluding certain payments by non-principal committees unless the communication has express advocacy, and it revises the political action committee definition to apply only if the entity's major purpose is making contributions or expenditures for or on behalf of candidates or other PACs. It overhauls reporting requirements by mandating electronic filings with a public searchable database, changing filing frequencies (monthly, weekly, and daily around elections if thresholds are met), and expanding donor, loan, and expenditure disclosures. It also removes or tightens exemptions for churches and trade organizations and becomes effective October 1, 2024.

Who It Affects

• Political campaigns, principal campaign committees, political action committees, and other payors of electioneering communications; they would face new definitions and stricter/changed reporting obligations.
• Churches and membership or trade organizations; reporting exemptions are removed or narrowed, so they may have to disclose electioneering communications if they spend to influence elections, while certain church exemptions remain only if expenditures are not used to influence an election.

Key Provisions

• Electioneering communications redefine to paid advertising run within 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election, targeted to the candidate's electorate, and urging a vote for or against the candidate.
• Expenditure definition is revised to exclude payments by non-principal campaign committees or non-PAC entities unless the communication includes express advocacy to vote for or against a candidate or proposition.
• Political action committee definition is narrowed to apply only if the major purpose is making contributions or expenditures on behalf of candidates, propositions, principal campaign committees, or other PACs.
• Electioneering communications reporting: these communications would be reported only once per election cycle unless the payor makes additional electioneering expenditures.
• Church and trade organization exemptions are removed or narrowed, with churches still exempt unless their expenditures are used to influence an election and member identities generally not disclosed.
• Electronic filings are required for all disclosures, with a public searchable database maintained by the Secretary of State.
• Reporting schedules are expanded to monthly reports, weekly reports in the weeks before an election, and daily reports if a daily threshold is met (e.g., $5,000 in a day), plus annual reports for filers who have not closed their committees.
• Contributions, loans, and expenditures must be disclosed with specific details (donor identities above a threshold, loan details, expenditures to individuals, etc.), and reports must be signed and certified by the appropriate official.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Elections, Voting, & Campaigns