Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1281 3
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By: Representative McAlindon 5
By: Senator C. Penzo 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CAMPAIGN FINANCE; 9
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS 10
AND EXPENDITURES; TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE 11
FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWNSHIP, OR MUNICIPAL OFFICE; 12
TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY OFFICE; 13
TO AMEND PORTIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED 14
FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
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Subtitle 18
TO AMEND REPORTING FOR A CANDIDATE FOR 19
CERTAIN MUNICIPAL OFFICES AND FOR COUNTY 20
OFFICE; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF THE 21
ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED FROM 22
INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996. 23
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-208(a), concerning required reporting 27
of contributions for candidates for school district, township, or municipal 28
office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as 29
follows: 30
(a) Reports required. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this 31
section, each Each candidate for school district, township, or municipal 32
office, or a person acting in the candidate's behalf, shall: 33
(1)(A) For each year in which a candidate is not listed on a 34
ballot for election, file an annual report of all contributions received and 35
expenditures made during that year. 36 HB1281
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(B) The annual report shall be filed no later than fifteen 1
(15) days after the end of the year; 2
(2) (1) No later than seven (7) sixty (60) days prior to any 3
preferential primary election, runoff election, general election, school 4
election, or special election in which the candidate's name appears on the 5
ballot, file a preelection report of all contributions received and 6
expenditures made between the period covered by the previous report, if any, 7
and the period ten (10) days before the election. In case of a runoff 8
election, the report shall cover all contributions received and expenditures 9
made during that period of time that begins after the date of the election 10
from which the runoff arose and ends ten (10) days before the runoff election 11
date of the filing of the report ; 12
(2) No later than twenty (20) days prior to any preferential 13
primary election, runoff election, general election, school election, or 14
special election in which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a 15
preelection report of all contributions received and expenditures made 16
between the period covered by the previous report, if any, and the date of 17
the filing of the report; 18
(3) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the month in 19
which the candidate's name has appeared on the ballot in any preferential 20
primary election, runoff election, general election, school election, or 21
special election, or when only one (1) candidate qualifies for a particular 22
office or position and no position or name of an unopposed candidate shall 23
appear on a ballot, file a final report of all contributions received and 24
expenditures made that have not been disclosed on reports previously required 25
to be filed. A final report is required regardless of whether a candidate has 26
received contributions or made expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars 27
($500); and 28
(4) File supplemental reports of all contributions received and 29
expenditures made after the date of preparation of the final report. The 30
supplemental reports shall be filed within thirty (30) days after the receipt 31
of a contribution or the making of an expenditure; 32
(5) (4)(A) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the 33
month in which the candidate has withdrawn, file a final report of all 34
contributions received and expenditures made that have not been disclosed on 35
reports previously required to be filed. 36 HB1281
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(B) If a candidate withdraws from the campaign, the 1
candidate shall notify the county clerk in writing of the withdrawal ; and 2
(6) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after an 3
election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required by this 4
subsection. 5
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-208(d), concerning reports not required 7
for candidates for a county office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 8
1996, is repealed. 9
(d) Reports Not Required. 10
(1) A candidate who has not received contributions or made 11
expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) shall not be required 12
to file any preelection reports required under subdivision (a)(1) of this 13
section. In calculating the amount of contributions received or expenditures 14
made for purposes of this exception, the payment of the filing fee from the 15
candidate's personal funds shall not be considered as either a contribution 16
or an expenditure. 17
(2) The preelection reports referenced in subdivision (a)(1) of 18
this section are required only for candidates with opponents in those 19
elections. 20
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-209(a), concerning required reporting 22
of contributions for candidates for a county office and resulting from 23
Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 24
(a) Reports Required. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this 25
section, each Each candidate for county office or a person acting in the 26
candidate's behalf shall: 27
(1)(A) For each year in which a candidate is not listed on a 28
ballot for election, file an annual report of all contributions received and 29
expenditures made during that year. 30
(B) The annual report shall be filed no later than fifteen 31
(15) days after the end of the year; 32
(2) (1) No later than seven (7) sixty (60) days prior to any 33
preferential primary election, runoff election, general election, or special 34
election in which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a 35
preelection report of all contributions received and expenditures made 36 HB1281
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between the period covered by the previous report, if any, and the period ten 1
(10) days before the election. In case of a runoff election, the report shall 2
cover all contributions received and expenditures made during that period of 3
time that begins after the date of the election from which the runoff arose 4
and ends ten (10) days before the runoff election date of the filing of the 5
report; 6
(2) No later than twenty (20) days prior to any preferential 7
primary election, runoff election, general election, or special election in 8
which the candidate's name appears on the ballot, file a preelection report 9
of all contributions received and expenditures made between the period 10
covered by the previous report, if any, and the date of the filing of the 11
report; 12
(3) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the month in 13
which the candidate's name has appeared on the ballot in any preferential 14
primary election, runoff election, general election, or special election, or 15
when only one (1) candidate qualifies for a particular office or position and 16
no position or name of an unopposed candidate shall appear on a ballot, file 17
a final report of all contributions received and expenditures made that have 18
not been disclosed on reports previously required to be filed. A final report 19
is required regardless of whether a candidate has received contributions or 20
made expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500); and 21
(4) File supplemental reports of all contributions received and 22
expenditures made after the date of preparation of the final report, and the 23
supplemental reports shall be filed within thirty (30) days after the receipt 24
of a contribution or the making of an expenditure; 25
(5) (4)(A) No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the 26
month in which the candidate has withdrawn, a final report of all 27
contributions received and expenditures made that have not been disclosed on 28
reports previously required to be filed. 29
(B) If a candidate withdraws from the campaign, the 30
candidate shall notify the county clerk in writing of the withdrawal ; and 31
(6) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after an 32
election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required by this 33
subsection. 34
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-209(d), concerning reports not required 36 HB1281
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for contributions of candidates for a county office and resulting from 1
Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is repealed. 2
(d) Reports Not Required. 3
(1) A candidate who has not received contributions or made 4
expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) shall not be required 5
to file any preelection reports required under subdivision (a)(1) of this 6
section. In calculating the amount of contributions received or expenditures 7
made for purposes of this exception, the payment of the filing fee from the 8
candidate's personal funds shall not be considered as either a contribution 9
or an expenditure. 10
(2) The preelection reports referenced in subdivision (a)(1) of 11
this section are required only for candidates with opponents in those 12
elections. 13
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