Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/4/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1281
4
5 By: Representatives McAlindon, Underwood
6 By: Senator C. Penzo
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CAMPAIGN FINANCE;
10 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
11 AND EXPENDITURES; TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE
12 FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWNSHIP, OR MUNICIPAL OFFICE;
13 TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY OFFICE;
14 TO AMEND PORTIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED
15 FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
16
17
18 Subtitle
19 TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE FOR
20 CERTAIN MUNICIPAL OFFICES AND FOR COUNTY
21 OFFICE; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF THE
22 ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED FROM
23 INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996.
24
25 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
26
27 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-6-208(a), concerning required reporting
28 of contributions for candidates for school district, township, or municipal
29 office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as
30 follows:
31 (a) Reports Required. Except as provided in subsection subsections
32 (d) and (e) of this section, each candidate for school district, township, or
33 municipal office, or a person acting in the candidate's behalf, shall:
34 (1)(A) For each year in which a candidate is not listed on a
35 ballot for election, file an annual report of all contributions received and
36 expenditures made during that year.
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1 (B) The annual report shall be filed no later than fifteen
2 (15) days after the end of the year;
3 (2) No later than seven (7) sixty (60) days prior to any
4 preferential primary election, runoff election, general election, school
5 election, or special election in which the candidate's name appears on the
6 ballot, file a preelection report of all contributions received and
7 expenditures made between the period covered by the previous report, if any,
8 and the period ten (10) days before the election. In case of a runoff
9 election, the report shall cover all contributions received and expenditures
10 made during that period of time that begins after the date of the election
11 from which the runoff arose and ends ten (10) days before the runoff election
12 date of the filing of the report;
13 (3) No later than thirty (30) days prior to any preferential
14 primary election, runoff election, general election, school election, or
15 special election in which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a
16 preelection report of all contributions received and expenditures made
17 between the period covered by the previous report, if any, and the date of
18 the filing of the report;
19 (3)(4) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the month
20 in which the candidate's name has appeared on the ballot in any preferential
21 primary election, runoff election, general election, school election, or
22 special election, or when only one (1) candidate qualifies for a particular
23 office or position and no position or name of an unopposed candidate shall
24 appear on a ballot, file a final report of all contributions received and
25 expenditures made that have not been disclosed on reports previously required
26 to be filed. A final report is required regardless of whether a candidate has
27 received contributions or made expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars
28 ($500);
29 (4)(5) File supplemental reports of all contributions received
30 and expenditures made after the date of preparation of the final report. The
31 supplemental reports shall be filed within thirty (30) days after the receipt
32 of a contribution or the making of an expenditure;
33 (5) (6)(A) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the
34 month in which the candidate has withdrawn, file a final report of all
35 contributions received and expenditures made that have not been disclosed on
36 reports previously required to be filed.
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1 (B) If a candidate withdraws from the campaign, the
2 candidate shall notify the county clerk in writing of the withdrawal; and
3 (6)(7) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after an
4 election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required by this
5 subsection.
6
7 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 7-6-208(d), concerning reports not required
8 for candidates for a county office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of
9 1996, is amended to read as follows:
10 (d) Reports Not Required.
11 (1) A candidate who has not received contributions or made
12 expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) shall not be required
13 to file any preelection reports required under subdivision (a)(1) of this
14 section. In calculating the amount of contributions received or expenditures
15 made for purposes of this exception, the payment of the filing fee from the
16 candidate's personal funds shall not be considered as either a contribution
17 or an expenditure.
18 (2) The preelection reports referenced in subdivision (a)(1) of
19 this section are only required only for candidates with opponents in those
20 elections.
21 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 7-6-208, concerning reports not required for
22 candidates for a county officer and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996,
23 is amended to add an additional subsection to read as follows:
24 (e) A candidate who has received contributions in excess of five
25 thousand dollars ($5,000) shall file a preelection report monthly under this
26 section.
27
28 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 7-6-209(a), concerning required reporting
29 of contributions for candidates for a county office and resulting from
30 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
31 (a) Reports Required. Except as provided in subsection subsections
32 (d) and (e) of this section, each candidate for county office or a person
33 acting in the candidate's behalf shall:
34 (1)(A) For each year in which a candidate is not listed on a
35 ballot for election, file an annual report of all contributions received and
36 expenditures made during that year.
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1 (B) The annual report shall be filed no later than fifteen
2 (15) days after the end of the year;
3 (2) No later than seven (7) sixty (60) days prior to any preferential
4 primary election, runoff election, general election, or special election in
5 which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a preelection report
6 of all contributions received and expenditures made between the period
7 covered by the previous report, if any, and the period ten (10) days before
8 the election. In case of a runoff election, the report shall cover all
9 contributions received and expenditures made during that period of time that
10 begins after the date of the election from which the runoff arose and ends
11 ten (10) days before the runoff election date of the filing of the report;
12 (3) No later than thirty (30) days prior to any preferential
13 primary election, runoff election, general election, or special election in
14 which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a preelection report
15 of all contributions received and expenditures made between the period
16 covered by the previous report, if any, and the date of the filing of the
17 report;
18 (3)(4) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the month
19 in which the candidate's name has appeared on the ballot in any preferential
20 primary election, runoff election, general election, or special election, or
21 when only one (1) candidate qualifies for a particular office or position and
22 no position or name of an unopposed candidate shall appear on a ballot, file
23 a final report of all contributions received and expenditures made that have
24 not been disclosed on reports previously required to be filed. A final report
25 is required regardless of whether a candidate has received contributions or
26 made expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500);
27 (4)(5) File supplemental reports of all contributions received
28 and expenditures made after the date of preparation of the final report, and
29 the supplemental reports shall be filed within thirty (30) days after the
30 receipt of a contribution or the making of an expenditure;
31 (5) (6)(A) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the month
32 in which the candidate has withdrawn, a final report of all contributions
33 received and expenditures made that have not been disclosed on reports
34 previously required to be filed.
35 (B) If a candidate withdraws from the campaign, the
36 candidate shall notify the county clerk in writing of the withdrawal; and
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1 (6)(7) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after an
2 election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required by this
3 subsection.
4
5 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 7-6-209(d), concerning reports not required
6 for contributions of candidates for a county office and resulting from
7 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
8 (d) Reports Not Required.
9 (1) A candidate who has not received contributions or made
10 expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) shall not be required
11 to file any preelection reports required under subdivision (a)(1) of this
12 section. In calculating the amount of contributions received or expenditures
13 made for purposes of this exception, the payment of the filing fee from the
14 candidate's personal funds shall not be considered as either a contribution
15 or an expenditure.
16 (2) The preelection reports referenced in subdivision (a)(1) of
17 this section are required only for candidates with opponents in those
18 elections.
19
20 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 7-6-209, concerning reports not required
21 for contributions of candidates for a county office and resulting from
22 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to add an additional subsection to read
23 as follows:
24 (e) A candidate who has received contributions in excess of five
25 thousand dollars ($5,000) shall file a preelection report monthly under this
26 section.
27 /s/McAlindon
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5 02-04-2025 10:27:42 SSS082Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.