Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateVermontTo Governor
H 686: An act relating to expanding identification of certain lobbying advertisements
Laura Sibilia
H 686 status: To Governor — House message: Governor approved bill on June 17, 2026 (updated May 29, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
85OUT OF 100
Score:85/100 civic fit
Risk:Low Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 45/100
Constitutionality90%
Bipartisan80%
Public opinion85%
Bill summary
What changes
The bill mandates that entities purchasing advertisements intended to influence legislative outcomes must clearly identify the payer.
Who is affected
Organizations, interest groups, and political entities that advertise to influence lawmakers are affected.
Requirements and enforcement
Groups must disclose the identity of those who funded specific lobbying-related advertisements.
Costs and funding
Direct costs may include administrative compliance and potential software or design changes for advertisements to include required disclosures.
When it takes effect
The Governor approved the bill on June 17, 2026.
Potential benefits
Provides the public with clearer visibility into the sources of influence regarding legislative decisions.
Risks and tradeoffs
Small advocacy groups may face disproportionate administrative burdens in meeting the identification standards.
What is still unknown
The specific threshold for what constitutes an advertisement 'meant to influence lawmakers' and exact penalty structures for non-compliance are not specified in the summary.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Society
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
85%
Benefits
- Increased transparency for paid lobbying activities
- Enables public scrutiny of funding sources for political influence
- Clarifies the identity of entities attempting to influence lawmakers
Risks
- Potential administrative burden for smaller advocacy organizations
- Increased compliance requirements for routine political advertising
- Risk of mislabeling if disclosure requirements are complex
Public Health & Safety
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.
Analysis scope
Analysis based on summary; full text of the enacted law was not reviewed.
04
Where it stands
Official record- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorCurrent
- EnactedUpcoming
05
How it affects your district
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06
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