§ 6-16-102 — Legislative declaration

The general assembly hereby finds that
fraudulent charitable solicitations are a widespread practice in this state that
results in millions of dollars of losses to contributors and legitimate charities each
year. Legitimate charities are harmed by such fraud because the money available
for contributions continually is being siphoned off by fraudulent charities, and the
goodwill and confidence of contributors continually is being undermined by the
practices of unscrupulous solicitors. The general assembly further finds that
legitimate charities provide many public benefits and that charitable donations are
a direct result of public trust in charities. The general assembly therefore finds that
the provisions of this article, including those involving pertinent information to be
filed in a timely manner by charitable organizations and disclosures to be made by
paid solicitors, are necessary to protect the public's interest in making informed
choices as to which charitable causes should be supported. Furthermore, these
provisions are intended to help the secretary of state investigate allegations of
wrongdoing in charities, without having a chilling effect on donors who wish to give
anonymously or requiring public disclosure of confidential information about
charities.

Legislative History

Source: L. 88: Entire article added, p. 350, � 1, effective July 1. L. 2008: Entire section amended, p. 806, � 1, effective September 1.