Large-format public advertisements: public expense

The law extends restrictions on publicly financed self-promotional communications beyond mass mailings to billboards, transit wraps, bus-stop ads, and certain other large public ads.

What the law does ​

• Defines large-format public advertisements to include billboards, transit-vehicle wraps, ads on bus stops or other public infrastructure, and commission-designated ads at least 24 by 36 inches.
• Prohibits an agency from publishing or displaying a covered ad with an affiliated elected official’s photograph when public funds pay distribution or any design, production, or printing costs.
• Makes the agency and elected official jointly and severally liable for administrative or civil penalties when they coordinate on a prohibited ad.

Who it affects ​

• State and local public agencies that purchase or produce large public advertisements.
• Elected officials affiliated with, supervising, or appointing members of those agencies.