HB 1527 - AS INTRODUCED
2000 SESSION
03/10
HOUSE BILL 1527
AN ACT relative to false statements about candidates.
SPONSORS: Rep. Pepino, Hills 40; Rep. Hunter, Hills 7; Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 44; Rep. Buckley, Hills 44
This bill establishes a procedure for candidates to file a request for findings with the secretary of state alleging that a false statement has been made, either orally or in writing, about the candidate. The secretary of state is required to hold a hearing and make written findings on the request.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
00-2772
03/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand
AN ACT relative to false statements about candidates.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Provisions for Purity of Elections; Illegal Influence; False Statements. Amend RSA 666 by inserting after section 7 the following new section:
666:7-a False Statements.
I. Any candidate may file a request for findings with the secretary of state alleging that a false statement has been made, either orally or in writing, about the candidate.
II. The secretary of state shall hold a hearing on every request for findings filed pursuant to this section. The parties shall have an opportunity to present documentation supporting or refuting the allegation. The secretary of state shall have the power to subpoena witnesses, to administer oaths, and to compel the production of any books, papers, or other memoranda or documents by subpoena duces tecum. The secretary of state may conduct an independent investigation of the allegation, and present the results of the investigation at the hearing.
III. Following the hearing, the secretary of state shall make written findings. The secretary of state may find that the statement was true or that the statement was false. If the secretary of state finds that the statement was false and the person either knew that the statement was false or acted in reckless disregard of the truth, the secretary of state shall issue a public censure of the person.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.