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.
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1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S3/5/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 351
4
5 By: Senator J. Dismang
6 By: Representative Eaves
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ETHICS AND
10 CAMPAIGN FINANCE; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT
11 1 OF 1990; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF
12 1996; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
13
14
15 Subtitle
16 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ETHICS AND
17 CAMPAIGN FINANCE; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF
18 INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1990; AND TO AMEND
19 PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996.
20
21 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
22
23 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-6-203(a)(1), concerning a candidate's
24 acceptance of campaign contributions and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of
25 1996, is amended to add an additional subdivision to read as follows:
26 (C) It shall be unlawful for a prospective contributor
27 other than those under subdivisions (a)(1)(A)(i)-(vi) of this section to make
28 a contribution to:
29 (i) A candidate for public office; or
30 (ii) A person acting on the candidate's behalf.
31
32 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 7-6-203(f)(4)(A)(iii), concerning a
33 candidate's acceptance of campaign funds as personal income and resulting
34 from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
35 (iii) If a candidate or officeholder is assessed a
36 fine by the Arkansas Ethics Commission under � 7-6-218(b)(4)(B) for the use
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1 of campaign funds as personal income, a candidate or officeholder shall not
2 use campaign funds or carryover remaining campaign funds to pay the fine.
3
4 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 7-6-203(g)(2)(E), concerning a candidate's
5 acceptance of campaign funds as personal income and resulting from Initiated
6 Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
7 (E) If a candidate or officeholder uses campaign funds or
8 carryover remaining campaign funds to pay a fine imposed by the Arkansas
9 Ethics Commission under � 7-6-218(b)(4)(B) for the use of campaign funds as
10 personal income, the candidate or officeholder shall be deemed to have taken
11 campaign funds as personal income.
12
13 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 7-6-206(a), concerning records of
14 contributions and expenditures for campaign finance, is amended to read as
15 follows:
16 (a) A candidate, a political party, or a person acting in the
17 candidate's behalf, a political party, a county political party committee, a
18 political action committee, an independent expenditure committee, or a person
19 making independent expenditures shall keep records of all contributions and
20 expenditures in a manner sufficient to evidence compliance with �� 7-6-207 --
21 7-6-210 � 7-6-201 et seq.
22
23 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 7-6-207(a)(1)(F), concerning records of
24 contributions and expenditures for campaign finance and resulting from
25 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
26 (F)(i) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after
27 an election, but does not have any activity before the end of the year, the
28 candidate shall not be required to file a fourth quarter report.
29 (ii) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds
30 and or raises campaign funds for a future campaign, or expends campaign funds
31 for office holder expenses or a future election, the candidate shall continue
32 filing the reports required by this subsection.
33 (iii) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds
34 after an election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required
35 by this subsection.
36
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1 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 7-6-207(b)(2)(B), concerning records of
2 contributions and expenditures for campaign finance and resulting from
3 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
4 (B) If a candidate's campaign has ended and the candidate
5 is retaining remaining campaign funds, the final report shall also indicate
6 the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance with � 7-6-201(3)
7 [repealed] as remaining campaign funds.
8
9 SECTION 7. Arkansas Code � 7-6-208(b)(2)(A), concerning reports of
10 contributions for candidates for school district, township, or municipal
11 office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as
12 follows:
13 (2)(A) When the candidate's campaign has ended, the final report
14 shall also indicate which option under � 7-6-203(g) was used to dispose of
15 any surplus of campaign funds, the amount of funds disposed of by the
16 candidate, and the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance
17 with � 7-6-201(3) [repealed] as remaining campaign funds.
18
19 SECTION 8. Arkansas Code � 7-6-209(b)(2)(A), concerning reports of
20 contributions for candidates for county offices and resulting from Initiated
21 Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
22 (2)(A) When the candidate's campaign has ended, the final report
23 shall also indicate which option under � 7-6-203(g) was used to dispose of
24 any surplus of campaign funds, the amount of funds disposed of by the
25 candidate, and the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance
26 with � 7-6-201(3) [repealed] as remaining campaign funds.
27
28 SECTION 9. Arkansas Code � 7-6-215(d)(6), concerning registration and
29 reporting by approved political action committees and resulting from
30 Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
31 (6)(A) A political action committee shall indicate on its
32 quarterly report for the fourth quarter of each calendar year whether or not
33 it intends to terminate its registration for the next calendar year.
34 (B) If a quarterly report for the fourth quarter is filed
35 in paper form, the form utilized by the Secretary of State for filing shall
36 require the political action committee to indicate whether or not it intends
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1 to terminate its registration for the next calendar year.
2 (C) If the Secretary of State offers electronic filing of
3 political action committee reports, the format used by the Secretary of State
4 for the filing of political action committee reports in electronic form shall
5 require a political action committee indicating that it intends to terminate
6 its registration for the next calendar year to terminate its registration for
7 the next calendar year before submitting its quarterly report for the fourth
8 quarter.
9 (D)(B) If a political action committee does not file any
10 quarterly reports for a period of two (2) years, the Secretary of State shall
11 terminate the political action committee's registration due to inactivity.
12
13 SECTION 10. Arkansas Code � 7-6-216(c), concerning registration and
14 reports by exploratory committees and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1990,
15 is amended to read as follows:
16 (c) Within thirty (30) days of the end of each month, No later than
17 twenty (20) days after the end of each month, an exploratory committee shall
18 file a report with the appropriate filing office indicating:
19 (1) The total amount of contributions received during the filing
20 period;
21 (2) The name and address of each person who has made a
22 contribution which, in the aggregate, exceeds two hundred dollars ($200),
23 along with the contributor's principal place of business, employer,
24 occupation, and the amount contributed; and
25 (3) The total amount of expenditures made and, for each single
26 expenditure that exceeds one hundred dollars ($100), an itemization,
27 including the amount of the expenditure, the name and address of the person
28 to whom the expenditure was made, and the date the expenditure was made.
29
30 SECTION 11. Arkansas Code � 7-6-220(a)(1)(B), concerning the report of
31 independent expenditures and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is
32 amended to read as follows:
33 (B) Each subsequent report shall be filed no later than
34 fifteen (15) twenty (20) days after the end of each month until the election
35 is held, except as required in subdivision (a)(1)(C) of this section.
36
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1 SECTION 12. Arkansas Code � 7-6-227(a)(1)(A), concerning registration
2 by an independent expenditure committee, is amended to read as follows:
3 (a)(1)(A) An independent expenditure committee shall register with the
4 Secretary of State within fifteen (15) days after accepting contributions or
5 making independent expenditures that exceed five hundred dollars ($500) two
6 hundred dollars ($200) in the aggregate during a calendar year.
7
8 SECTION 13. Arkansas Code � 7-6-228(c)(2), concerning campaign signs
9 and campaign materials, is amended to read as follows:
10 (2) Subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section applies only to
11 campaign signs, campaign literature, and other printed campaign materials
12 created by or sponsored by a political candidate, the campaign of a political
13 candidate, a political action committee, or an independent expenditure
14 committee, or persons making independent expenditures.
15
16 SECTION 14. Arkansas Code � 7-9-402(2)(B), concerning the definition
17 of "ballot question committee" as it relates to matters referred to voters,
18 is amended to read as follows:
19 (B) A person other than an individual or an approved
20 political action committee as defined in � 7-6-201, located within or outside
21 Arkansas, also qualifies as a ballot question committee if an amount equal to
22 two percent (2%) or more of its annual revenues, operating expenses, or funds
23 are for the most recently completed year is used to make a contribution or
24 contributions to another ballot question committee and if the contribution or
25 contributions exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in value;
26
27 SECTION 15. Arkansas Code � 7-9-402(10)(B), concerning the definition
28 of "legislative question committee" as it relates to matters referred to
29 voters, is amended to read as follows:
30 (B) A person other than an individual or an approved
31 political action committee as defined in � 7-6-201, located within or outside
32 Arkansas, also qualifies as a legislative question committee if an amount
33 equal to two percent (2%) or more of its annual revenues, operating expenses,
34 or funds are for the most recently completed year is used to make a
35 contribution or contributions to another legislative question committee and
36 if the contribution or contributions exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in
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1 value;
2
3 SECTION 16. Arkansas Code � 7-9-409(a)(3), concerning time for filing
4 financial reports for matters referred to voters, is amended to read as
5 follows:
6 (3)(A) Furthermore, a A final financial report shall be filed no
7 later than thirty (30) days after the election.
8 (B) If a ballot question fails to qualify for the ballot
9 or is disqualified, the final financial report required under subdivision
10 (a)(3)(A) of this section shall be filed no later than thirty (30) days after
11 the end of the month in which the ballot question fails to qualify for the
12 ballot or is disqualified.
13
14 SECTION 17. Arkansas Code Title 7, Chapter 9, Subchapter 4, is amended
15 to add an additional section to read as follows:
16 7-9-416. Contributions and expenditures for campaign signs, campaign
17 literature, and printed campaign materials.
18 (a) A ballot question committee, a legislative question committee, an
19 individual person, or an elected official who receives contributions or makes
20 expenditures to support or oppose a ballot question or legislative question:
21 (1) May reuse the campaign signs, campaign literature, and other
22 printed campaign materials in future initiative campaigns that have been
23 properly reported in a previous campaign by that committee, individual
24 person, or elected official; and
25 (2) Is not required to list the campaign signs, campaign
26 literature, and other printed campaign materials under subdivision (a)(1) of
27 this section in future reports filed under this subchapter.
28 (b)(1) Campaign signs, campaign literature, and other printed campaign
29 materials under subsection (a) of this section shall clearly contain the
30 words "Paid for by" followed by the name of the committee, individual person,
31 or elected official who paid for the campaign sign, campaign literature, or
32 other printed campaign materials.
33 (2) The ballot question committee, legislative question
34 committee, individual person, or elected official printing the campaign sign,
35 campaign literature, or other printed campaign materials shall be responsible
36 for including the language required under subdivision (b)(1) of this section.
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2 SECTION 18. Arkansas Code � 21-8-703(a), concerning the place and
3 manner for filing a statement of financial interest, is amended to add an
4 additional subdivision to read as follows:
5 (7) Executive directors of education service cooperatives
6 required to file shall file with the county clerk.
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8 /s/J. Dismang
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7 03-05-2025 14:47:50 SSS184Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.