REAL Political Advertisements Act (119th Congress)
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REAL Political Advertisements Act
United States — federal
Proposed legislation
H.R. 10814, 119th Congress; proposed amendments to FECA 1971, including 52 U.S.C. § 30120.[1]
Introduced October 15, 2026; referred to the House Committee on House Administration.[1]
Not in force. Introduced text proposes January 1, 2027 application, conditional on enactment.
October 30, 2026 — complete official introduced text, §§1–5, and current official status record.
The REAL Political Advertisements Act is a proposed federal political-advertising measure. Representative Yvette Clarke introduced H.R. 10814 on October 15, 2026; it was referred that day to the House Committee on House Administration. Her announcement describes requirements to disclose generative-AI images and videos in political advertising.[1] The official introduced text would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. It is a proposal, not an enacted disclosure requirement.[2][3]
Status and source text
The official introduced print identifies Clarke, Dingell, Costa, Foushee and Grijalva and confirms the October 15, 2026 introduction and referral to House Administration. That referral remains the latest action in the October 30 status record; no passage or enactment is established.[1] The complete numbered print is now accessible and supplies the provision-level basis below.[4]
Earlier coverage used the sponsor’s ten-page draft, whose bill number and committee were blank. The October 20 access gap has been resolved by review of the numbered introduced print; recovery of its text is not a new legislative action.[3][4]
Digital electioneering communications
Section 3 would expand electioneering communications to include paid qualified internet or digital communications. Its online-platform definition covers public-facing websites and applications, including social networks, advertising networks and search engines, that sell qualified political advertisements and meet a threshold of 50 million unique monthly U.S. visitors or users for a majority of the preceding 12 months. A separate route covers third-party advertising vendors with equivalent aggregate reach measured by an independent Media Ratings Council-accredited digital-ratings service. Qualified political advertisements would include candidate-related communications and communications about nationally important political matters, including federal elections and national legislative issues. The bill also addresses online news, commentary and editorial exemptions, excluding outlets owned or controlled by a political party, committee or candidate.[4]
AI disclosure proposal
Section 4 would require a clear and conspicuous statement when a communication covered by FECA section 318(a) contains an image or video footage generated wholly or partly with generative AI. The operative trigger specifies images and video footage. The bill’s separate audio-format safe harbor should not be read as an independent expansion of that trigger to every synthetic-audio communication.[4]
For the safe harbor, text or graphic disclosures would use letters at least as large as most of the communication’s text and meet specified existing FECA presentation requirements. Audio disclosures would be intelligibly spoken at the beginning or end for at least three seconds. Video with audio would carry both the written disclosure for at least four seconds and the audible disclosure at the beginning or end. Other formats would require equivalent clarity and conspicuousness.[4]
Implementation and reports
The Federal Election Commission would issue implementing regulations within 120 days after enactment, addressing identification criteria, statement contents and the definition of AI-generated content. Sections 3 and 4 propose application to communications made on or after January 1, 2027, whether or not implementing regulations have been promulgated. These are conditional dates in a proposal, not current legal obligations.[4]
Section 5 would require a congressional report within two years after enactment and uses the term “biannually” for subsequent reports. Subjects include compliance and enforcement, possible modifications, and further political-advertising transparency and accountability.[4]
Related coverage
- October 20, 2026 news coverage of the October 15 introduction
- Federal proposed legislation
- Deepfakes and digital replicas
- AI Advertising Disclosure Act (119th Congress) — separate proposed AI advertising disclosures.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov/Library of Congress bill-status record, H.R. 10814, 119th Congress, complete official XML reviewed October 30, 2026: introduced and referred to the House Committee on House Administration October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Representative Yvette Clarke, “Clarke Reintroduces REAL Political Ads Act to Strengthen Transparency in AI-Generated Political Advertising,” October 15, 2026, complete announcement reviewed October 16, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sponsor-linked REAL Political Advertisements Act draft, 119th Congress, second session, CLARKE_026.XML, June 25, 2026 drafting footer, pp. 1–10; complete displayed text reviewed October 16, 2026. Bill number and committee are blank.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 H.R. 10814, official Introduced in House print, October 15, 2026; complete §§1–5 reviewed October 30.