An act TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONTRIBUTION 10 LIMITS FOR BALLOT QUESTION COMMITTEES AND LEGISLATIVE 11 QUESTION COMMITTEES, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

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2                               A Bill

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8                    For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONTRIBUTION

10  LIMITS FOR BALLOT QUESTION COMMITTEES AND LEGISLATIVE

11  QUESTION COMMITTEES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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14                              Subtitle

15                   TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONTRIBUTION

16                   LIMITS FOR BALLOT QUESTION COMMITTEES

17                   AND LEGISLATIVE QUESTION COMMITTEES.

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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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21  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-9-405 is amended to read as follows:

22  7-9-405. Contributions and expenditures limited.

23  (a) No ballot question committee or legislative question committee

24 shall accept any contribution in cash, meaning currency or coin, that exceeds

25 one hundred dollars ($100).

26  (b)(a) No A ballot question committee or legislative question

27 committee shall not accept any contribution from a:

28  (1) prohibited Prohibited political action committee as defined

29 in � 7-6-201; or

30  (2) Foreign individual or entity.

31  (c) No ballot question committee, legislative question committee, or

32 individual shall make an expenditure in cash that exceeds fifty dollars

33 ($50.00) to influence the qualification, disqualification, passage, or defeat

34 of a ballot question or the passage or defeat of a legislative question.

35  (d)(b) No contributions shall be made, directly or indirectly, by any

36 person in a name other than the name by which the person is identified for

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1 legal purposes.

2   (e)(1) No person shall make an anonymous contribution totaling fifty

3 dollars ($50.00) or more to a ballot question committee or legislative

4 question committee.

5   (2) Any such anonymous contribution actually received by any

6 ballot question committee or legislative question committee shall be promptly

7 paid by the recipient to the Arkansas Ethics Commission for deposit into the

8 State Treasury as general revenues.

9   (c)(1)(A) It shall be unlawful for a ballot question committee,

10 legislative question committee, or for a person acting on the ballot question

11 committee's or the legislative question committee's behalf to accept

12 contributions in excess of the maximum contribution level established by rule

13 of the Arkansas Ethics Commission under subsection (e) of this section per

14 election from:

15                     (i) An individual;

16                     (ii) A political party that meets the definition of

17 a political party under � 7-1-101;

18                     (iii) A political party that meets the requirements

19 of � 7-7-205;

20                     (iv) A county political party committee;

21                     (v) A legislative caucus committee; or

22                     (vi) An approved political action committee.

23                 (B) It shall be unlawful for a ballot question committee,

24 legislative question committee, or for a person acting on the ballot question

25 committee's or the legislative question committee's behalf to accept a

26 contribution from a prospective contributor other than those under

27 subdivisions (c)(1)(A)(i)-(vi) of this section.

28  (2) A ballot question committee or legislative question

29 committee may accept a contribution or contributions up to the maximum amount

30 from any prospective contributor under subdivisions (c)(1)(A)(i)-(vi) of this

31 section for each election, whether opposed or unopposed.

32  (d)(1)(A) It shall be unlawful for a person to make a contribution to

33 a ballot question committee, legislative question committee, or to a person

34 acting on the ballot question committee's or the legislative question

35 committee's behalf, which in the aggregate amount exceeds the maximum

36 contribution limit established by rule of the commission per election.

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1                    (B) The total aggregate amount per election is based on

2 the total contributions made to a ballot question committee or legislative

3 question committee by a donor during an election regardless of which ballot

4 question the ballot question committee or legislative question committee is

5 advocating for or against, and the aggregate amount during an election

6 applies even if a ballot question committee or legislative question

7 committee:

8                    (i) Advocates for or against more than one (1)

9 ballot question during the election; or

10                   (ii) Concludes a campaign or otherwise withdraws the

11 ballot question.

12             (2) A person permitted to make a contribution or contributions

13 under subdivisions (c)(1)(A)(i)-(vi) of this section may make a contribution

14 or contributions up to the maximum amount to a ballot question committee or

15 legislative question committee for each election, whether opposed or

16 unopposed.

17  (e)(1) The commission shall establish the contribution limit under

18 this section by rule in the same manner provided for the establishment of the

19 maximum campaign contribution limit under � 7-6-203.

20             (2) The commission shall promulgate rules identifying the

21 adjusted contribution limit under this section.

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