California Senate Passes Bill to Fine Political Influencers

The California Senate passed a bill on August 24 that would allow the state to fine social media influencers and political committees up to $5,000 per violation for failing to disclose paid political content. Authored by Marc Berman, a Democratic Assemblymember, the legislation aims to streamline enforcement by granting the California Fair Political Practices Commission the authority to issue fines directly, bypassing a court process that often takes months.

The bill now requires a final vote in the state Assembly before it reaches Governor Gavin Newsom, who must sign or veto the measure by the end of September.

This state-level effort runs parallel to a federal push by Senator Adam Schiff and Representative Mark Takano. They introduced the Promoting Authenticity with Influencer Disclaimers (PAID) Act, which seeks to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act. The federal proposal would grant the Federal Election Commission similar authority to require clear disclaimers on paid political speech across the United States to regulate the creator economy's role in political advertising.