GOP bill requires government to disclose paid advertisements for ObamaCare

“I believe it is important, in the interest of transparency and government accountability, for the public to be informed when Washington uses their hard earned dollars to promote federal programs,” Long said Tuesday.

{mosads}”The Taxpayer Transparency Act requires government agencies to put a disclaimer at the bottom of any advertisement that is paid for by taxpayers,” he said. “By calling attention to how taxpayer dollars are spent, my bill will serve as a reminder that all services provided by the government are ultimately paid for by the taxpayers.”

Under the bill, the government would have to indicate that taxpayers paid for printed mailers, brochures, TV and radio ads, as well as billboard messages and emails.

The bill specifically requires that the government indicate that taxpayers funded print ads by using “sufficient type size to be clearly readable.” It says this type must be set apart from other contents of the ad, and must be printed “with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement.”

For audio ads, a message that it was funded by the government must be made in a “clearly spoken manner.” TV ads must also meet that standard, and the message must also be repeated in print in a “readable manner” at the end of a TV ad.

The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).