WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips is a cosponsor on a bill that aims to increase transparency and accountability on online political ads.
“Our democracy faces threats from both the inside and outside,” Phillips said in a Feb. 19 news release. “Nowhere is that more apparent than in digital political communication and advertising. From dark money groups circumventing disclosure requirements, to foreign governments interfering in elections, it is time to update laws to protect our democracy.”
Phillips, a Democrat who represents Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District, thanked U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, who sponsored the Honest Ads Act in the Senate, and urged his colleagues in supporting the bipartisan legislation.
The Honest Ads Act would require digital political ads be subject to the same disclosures that are currently required for broadcast ads. It would also expand public filing requirements and would require all advertising platforms to more to prevent foreign interests from influencing politics.
The news release says Phillips is the only freshman member of Congress who is listed as an original cosponsor on the bill.
The Honest Ads Act is part of the For the People Act (H.R. 1), which Phillips became a sponsor of on his first day in Congress. H.R. 1 had its first committee hearings last week and is scheduled for a vote sometime next month.