SB120

SB 120 will increase the need for lobbyists so Lobbyists Please enter in the rear.. — Lobbyists Please enter in the rear…

Jeb Bradley is a primary sponsor of New Hampshire Senate Bill 120.

Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley is proposing changes to New Hampshire’s election laws so voters will know who is paying for negative television campaign ads and material mailed to their homes.

That’s the sell for the low information voter, but the Boston.com article even had a bone for the blogosphere.

Bradley said he set the $5,000 threshold for the independent groups to protect the free speech rights of those spending a small amount. The bill wouldn’t cover bloggers, he said.

‘‘They are not intended to be caught in the net,’’ he said.

I wonder why he felt it necessary to add that point?

SB 0120, sponsored by three New Hampshire Senate Republicans, a House Republican and a House Democrat, is nothing more than the free speech killing bride of the amendment to HB1704 proposed last year.

It is the same language, placing the same similarly complex, overly demanding, ambiguous bureaucratic horse collar on political speech, which last May prompted me to ask…

How does one define the “value” of the ‘distribution’ of the speech for the purpose of determining the need for compliance, and therefore registration; and then jumping through hoops to exercise your right to free speech?

(and) Using the internet as an example, how do we prevent lawsuit-filing opponents from manufacturing complaints of violations–simply to intimidate or stifle speech by ensuring it (that speech) never happens…

That was just the beginning of the problems with HB1704, all of which have been reincarnated in SB0120. So let’s get this out of the way right now. I don’t care what ‘good’ you think you will be doing by sponsoring, supporting, or passing this bill. It will, intentionally or not, silence political speech and I can’t believe you can think yourselves Republicans while doing it.

Op-Ed: “Your State House”

The Bill Wouldn’t Cover Bloggers, He Said.

SB 0120 – Bride of HB 1704 (2012) Political Speech For The Privelaged Few Makes A Come-Back