HB452: relative to political advertising on public property.

HB 452 - AS INTRODUCED

2003 SESSION

03-0674

03/10

HOUSE BILL 452

AN ACT relative to political advertising on public property.

SPONSORS: Rep. Langley, Rock 88; Rep. Bergin, Hills 47

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

ANALYSIS

This bill permits a municipality to designate an area of public property on which political advertising may be placed.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03-0674

03/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three

AN ACT relative to political advertising on public property.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. Amend RSA 664:17 to read as follows:

664:17 Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. No political advertising shall be placed on or affixed to any public property including highway rights-of-way or private property without the owner's consent. However, a municipality may designate an area of public property on which political advertising may be placed, provided that such area is restricted to use for political advertising, no candidate is precluded from placing advertising in the designated area, advertising placed in the designated area conforms to existing signage size requirements, and advertising is placed and removed in accordance with the time limitations established in this section. The earliest date on which political advertising may be placed or affixed shall be the last Friday in July prior to a state primary. All political advertising shall be removed by the candidate no later than the second Friday following the election unless the election is a primary and the advertising concerns a candidate who is a winner in the primary. No person shall remove, deface, or knowingly destroy any political advertising which is placed on or affixed to any private property except the owner of the property or a law enforcement officer removing improper advertising; provided, however, that, before a law enforcement officer removes any advertisement, [he] the officer shall notify the candidate that it is improper, and allow the candidate 24 hours to remove the advertisement [himself].

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2004.