Honest Ads Act
Latest action · Jun 26, 2018 Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. Hearings held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 19, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Honest Ads Act
This bill expands source disclosure requirements for political advertisements by (1) establishing that paid internet and paid digital communications may qualify as “public communications” or “electioneering communications” that may be subject to such requirements, and (2) imposing additional requirements relating to the form of such source disclosures and the information contained within. The bill also requires certain online platform companies to maintain publicly available records about qualified political advertisements that have been purchased on their platforms.
Cosponsors 32
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 19, 2017 to Nov 14, 2018; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AZ | John McCain | Original | Oct 19, 2017 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | Oct 19, 2017 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Dec 19, 2017 | |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Dec 19, 2017 | |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Jan 11, 2018 | |
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Jan 23, 2018 | |
| D-WV | Joe Manchin III | Jan 23, 2018 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Feb 8, 2018 | |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Feb 8, 2018 | |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Feb 13, 2018 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Feb 26, 2018 | |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Mar 22, 2018 | |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Apr 9, 2018 | |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Apr 9, 2018 | |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Apr 9, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Apr 9, 2018 | |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Apr 16, 2018 | |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Apr 17, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Apr 19, 2018 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | May 24, 2018 | |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Jul 17, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Jul 17, 2018 | |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Jul 24, 2018 | |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Jul 25, 2018 | |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Oct 10, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Kamala D. Harris | Nov 14, 2018 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Rules and Administration Committee | Referred Oct 19, 2017 |
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | |
| Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee | Hearings Jun 26, 2018 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 26, 2018Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. Hearings held.
- Oct 19, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Oct 19, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1755 | Amy Klobuchar D-MN | Mar 15, 2018 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R41542 | The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress | Report | Jul 29, 2025 |
| IF10758 | Online Political Advertising: Disclaimers and Policy Issues Archived | Resource | Mar 18, 2019 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4077 | Honest Ads Act | Identical bill | Oct 19, 2017 |
| HR 6437 | Secure America from Russian Interference Act of 2018 | Related bill | Jul 19, 2018 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to enhance transparency and accountability for online political advertisements by requiring those who purchase and publish such ads to disclose information about the advertisements to the public, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Honest Ads Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
- Business records
- Congressional oversight
- Digital media
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- News media and reporting
- Political advertising
- Subversive activities
- Television and film
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 19, 2017Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
