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 A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1707
4
5 By: Representatives Hawk, Underwood
6 By: Senator K. Hammer
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CAMPAIGN
10 CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES; TO REQUIRE A
11 CANDIDATE FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWNSHIP, OR MUNICIPAL
12 OFFICE TO FILE REPORTS WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE;
13 TO REQUIRE A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY OFFICE TO FILE
14 REPORTS WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO AMEND
15 PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996; TO DECLARE AN
16 EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
17
18
19 Subtitle
20 TO REQUIRE CERTAIN CANDIDATES TO FILE
21 REPORTS WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO
22 AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF
23 1996; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
24
25 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
26
27 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-6-208(c), concerning filing of reports of
28 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 (c) Filing of Reports.
32 (1)(A) The reports required by this section shall be filed with
33 the county clerk in the county in which the election is held Secretary of
34 State under subdivision (c)(2) of this section.
35 (B) Reports shall be filed on the appropriate forms
36 furnished by the Secretary of State.
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1 (2)(A)(i) The Secretary of State shall establish a filing system
2 for reports filed under this section.
3 (ii) The reports shall be kept for eight (8) years
4 from the date of filing, catalogued by candidate in chronological order, and
5 made available for public inspection.
6 (iii) For eight (8) years after the reports are
7 filed under this section, the Secretary of State is the official custodian of
8 those records.
9 (B)(i) After the eight-year period, the Secretary of State
10 shall turn the reports over to the Arkansas State Archives for maintenance
11 and continued public inspection.
12 (ii) After the eight-year period, the Arkansas State
13 Archives is the official custodian of the records of the reports filed under
14 this section.
15 (C)(i) The campaign contribution and expenditure reports
16 filed with the Secretary of State under this section shall be filed in
17 electronic form through the official website of the Secretary of State.
18 (ii) The Arkansas Ethics Commission shall approve
19 the format used by the Secretary of State for the filing of campaign
20 contribution and expenditure reports in electronic form under subdivision
21 (c)(2)(C)(i) of this section to ensure that all required information is
22 requested.
23 (iii) The official website of the Secretary of State
24 shall allow for searches of campaign contribution and expenditure report
25 information filed in electronic form under subdivision (c)(2)(C)(i) of this
26 section.
27 (iv) The electronic format used for the filing of
28 campaign contribution and expenditure reports on the official website of the
29 Secretary of State shall aggregate total campaign contributions by a
30 contributor to determine if they collectively reach the limitation for lawful
31 campaign contributions under this subchapter.
32 (v) The Secretary of State shall not accept paper
33 filings under this subdivision (c)(2).
34 (3) The Secretary of State shall furnish to the commission, no
35 later than thirty (30) days after each filing deadline under this section, a
36 report listing the:
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1 (A) Names of all candidates who have filed for office;
2 (B) Type of report filed by each candidate; and
3 (C) Date the report was received by the Secretary of
4 State.
5
6 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 7-6-209(c), concerning filing of reports of
7 contributions for candidates for county office and resulting from Initiated
8 Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
9 (c) Filing of Reports.
10 (1)(A) The reports required by this section shall be filed with
11 the county clerk in the county in which the election is held Secretary of
12 State under subdivision (c)(2) of this section.
13 (B) Reports shall be filed on the appropriate forms
14 furnished by the Secretary of State.
15 (2)(A)(i) The Secretary of State shall establish a filing system
16 for reports filed under this section.
17 (ii) The reports shall be kept for eight (8) years
18 from the date of filing, catalogued by candidate in chronological order, and
19 made available for public inspection.
20 (iii) For eight (8) years after the reports are
21 filed under this section, the Secretary of State is the official custodian of
22 those records.
23 (B)(i) After the eight-year period, the Secretary of State
24 shall turn the reports over to the Arkansas State Archives for maintenance
25 and continued public inspection.
26 (ii) After the eight-year period, the Arkansas State
27 Archives is the official custodian of the records of the reports filed under
28 this section.
29 (C)(i) The campaign contribution and expenditure reports
30 filed with the Secretary of State under this section shall be filed in
31 electronic form through the official website of the Secretary of State.
32 (ii) The Arkansas Ethics Commission shall approve
33 the format used by the Secretary of State for the filing of campaign
34 contribution and expenditure reports in electronic form under subdivision
35 (c)(2)(C)(i) of this section to ensure that all required information is
36 requested.
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1 (iii) The official website of the Secretary of State
2 shall allow for searches of campaign contribution and expenditure report
3 information filed in electronic form under subdivision (c)(2)(C)(i) of this
4 section.
5 (iv) The electronic format used for the filing of
6 campaign contribution and expenditure reports on the official website of the
7 Secretary of State shall aggregate total campaign contributions by a
8 contributor to determine if they collectively reach the limitation for lawful
9 campaign contributions under this subchapter.
10 (v) The Secretary of State shall not accept paper
11 filings under this subdivision (c)(2).
12 (3) The Secretary of State shall furnish to the commission, no
13 later than thirty (30) days after each filing deadline under this section, a
14 report listing the:
15 (A) Names of all candidates who have filed for office;
16 (B) Type of report filed by each candidate; and
17 (C) Date the report was received by the Secretary of
18 State.
19
20 SECTION 3. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the
21 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that transparency in election
22 contributions impacts the public peace, health, and safety as it ensures that
23 elections are conducted fairly and properly; that this act increases access
24 to reports of contributions for candidates for school district, township,
25 municipal, and county offices; and that this act should become effective at
26 the earliest opportunity to preserve the public peace, health, and safety by
27 providing increased transparency in election contributions to ensure that
28 elections occur in a fair and appropriate manner. Therefore, an emergency is
29 declared to exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the
30 preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall become effective
31 on:
32 (1) The date of its approval by the Governor;
33 (2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor,
34 the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the
35 bill; or
36 (3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is
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1 overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto.
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