No Taxpayer-Paid Advertising for Statewide Incumbents

During the almost five-hour long floor session Tuesday evening, the State Senate adopted a budget amendment that would restrict state funds from being used to produce and/or purchase advertising, such as “public service announcements” and similar promotions for incumbents of statewide offices.

The amendment was offered by Minority Leader Allan Kittleman. The adopted language states, “No state funds, including any State funds appropriated to any local jurisdiction or municipality, may be expended for development, production or distribution to the public of promotional or informational materials on behalf of State programs through billboard, magazine, newspaper, electronic, radio, or television media which bear the likeness or voice, or include the name, of a person who has filed a certificate of candidacy for statewide office with the State Board of Elections for an election to occur in calendar year 2010.”

Noting that similar budget language was adopted in 2006, Majority Leader Edward J. Kasemeyer (Democrat, District 12) accepted the amendment on behalf of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Kasemeyer stated, “The obvious tendency for those in the majority would be to vote against this amendment - but we are very comfortable that no one running for state office would use these opportunities as an unfair way to disadvantage anyone else, so in the spirit of impartiality we support this amendment.”

The full Senate budget plan was passed as a third reader bill on Wednesday morning. If the restrictive language is also adopted by the House of Delegates, it will apply to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller and Attorney General during the 2010 election campaign.