H.R. 6248: Fairness in Political Advertising Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-06-27 · Science, Technology, Communications · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-06-27 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Fairness in Political Advertising Act of 2018

Plain summary

Fairness in Political Advertising Act of 2018 This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require television broadcasting station licensees and cable operators to make available annually free broadcast or cable time for political advertising. For political candidates in a statewide or national election whose parties received more than 2% of total votes in the most recent statewide or national election, the bill requires such television broadcast station licensees and cable operators to allot an equal amount (at least two hours) of free broadcast time each even-numbered year to each candidate. The bill also sets forth standards for allotting free broadcast time during the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., during specific periods before an election, and at comparable times of day and days of the week to candidates for the same office. Nothing in this bill, and no use of allotted free broadcast time, shall be construed to restrict a candidate's right to purchase other broadcast time.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Fairness in Political Advertising Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), André Carson (D-IN)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] reported raising $5.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr6248.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr6248 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115