6-16-102. Legislative declaration

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.