State Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth doesn't have a high opinion of the electioneering communications bill that dominated this week's special session Charleston.
"All things considered it's a train wreck," Caruth said.
The Mercer County Republican says the legislation creates too many questions too close to the state's General Election. "Don't create between now and the date of our election issues and questions about what is right and what is wrong and what you can do and what you can't do," Caruth said.
The bill, which passed the House of Delegates Thursday, would require those paying for election related mass mailings and political phone calls to identify their donors. It also says that disclosure includes communications that may be character-based and don't say, “vote for” or “vote against” a certain candidate.
Senator Caruth says the bill could have many ramifications, including giving state office holders an unfair advantage when it comes to self-promotion.
Caruth says the bill needs further study, not just a late June special session. "It's too complicated to do this close to an election when there's a federal injunction already in the last bill we did. We don't know what laws we will be pursuing the election under," Caruth said.
